English is undoubtedly the most widely spoken language in the US. However, many will be surprised how many other languages are spoken in different states. If you are a business owner in the US, knowing which language is most spoken in which state will help you communicate your message to your customers.
While there are around 229 million English speakers in the USA, this article takes a closer look at all the other languages spoken in the United States:
Spanish
Spanish is by far the most dominant language in the United States after English. With approximately 35 million speakers, the number of Spanish speakers has risen by almost 210% since the last survey was conducted in the 1980s. The highest population of Spanish speakers can be found in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Chinese Languages
Different Chinese languages follow Spanish as the third most dominant language in the United States. However, compared to Spanish, Chinese speakers have a fairly small population of around 2.9 million. Nevertheless, this number accounts for an increase of 290% since 1980 and is fast becoming a vastly popular language in the US. Most Chinese speakers speak Mandarin and are mainly found in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Tagalog
Surprisingly, Tagalog, a language spoken by the Philippine natives, has become popular right after Chinese. With 1.5 million speakers, the language has tripled over the last three decades. The influx of Tagalog speakers has also overtaken French as a more popular language.
French
French has been a popular language in the US for some time but has now been overtaken by other languages. Nonetheless, with almost 1.3 million speakers in Washington, D.C., Miami, and New York, it is the fifth most spoken language in the United States.
Vietnamese
Vietnamese accounts for the biggest change in the speaker’s population status on this list. Since 1980, the number of speakers has increased by more than 500%. Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, among other cities, have the most people who speak Vietnamese.
German
Native Vietnamese speakers outnumber German speakers. With 1.1 million speakers of different German dialects, the language has seen a meager 30% increase in the last three decades.
Korean
With a population of less than 1.1 million, Korean speakers are common in the cities of Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Russian
Russian has seen the second highest increase after Vietnamese in the United States since 1980. With an increase of 390%, most Russian speakers can be found in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco.
Italian
Italian is one language on this list that has seen a decline in the number of speakers. The number of Italian speakers has declined by 50% since the 1980s, with the remaining 700,000 speakers residing in Chicago, Boston, and New York.
Portuguese
Portuguese speakers have doubled in the United States since the 1980s. There are over 600,000 people in the United States who speak Portuguese, with the near majority residing in New York, Miami, and Boston.
Hopefully, this list will help you better target your customers, send more personalized emails, and run a better marketing campaign.