Mapped: The Second Most-Spoken Language by State
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Mapped: The Second Most-Spoken Language by State
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Key Takeaways
Spanish is the second most-spoken language in 47 states and Washington, D.C.
Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine are the only exceptions, reflecting Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and French-speaking heritage.
California alone has more than 10.5 million Spanish speakers, the largest total in the country.
Spanish is the second most-spoken language in nearly every U.S. state, revealing how widely the language is spoken far beyond the Southwest and border regions.
This map shows the second most-spoken language across America using U.S. Census Bureau data on people age five and older who speak a language other than English at home.
While Spanish dominates almost the entire map, Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine stand out with distinct linguistic histories shaped by Indigenous communities, Pacific migration, and French-speaking heritage.
Spanish Is the Clear No. 2 Language Nationwide
Spanish is the second most-spoken language in 47 states and Washington, D.C.
State#2 LanguageSpeakers
AlabamaSpanish187,711
AlaskaOther Native (North America)24,996
ArizonaSpanish1,344,168
ArkansasSpanish176,128
CaliforniaSpanish10,513,931
ColoradoSpanish613,290
ConnecticutSpanish439,949
DelawareSpanish76,483
District of ColumbiaSpanish60,423
FloridaSpanish4,801,213
GeorgiaSpanish890,264
HawaiiIlocano/Samoan/Hawaiian & Austronesian117,184
IdahoSpanish147,208
IllinoisSpanish1,681,635
IndianaSpanish353,025
IowaSpanish140,635
KansasSpanish223,357
KentuckySpanish146,717
LouisianaSpanish201,847
MaineFrench30,737
MarylandSpanish562,050
MassachusettsSpanish646,141
MichiganSpanish298,830
MinnesotaSpanish227,636
MississippiSpanish73,687
MissouriSpanish169,451
MontanaSpanish15,285
NebraskaSpanish156,178
NevadaSpanish600,083
New HampshireSpanish34,831
New JerseySpanish1,514,828
New MexicoSpanish491,462
New YorkSpanish2,772,893
North CarolinaSpanish876,033
North DakotaSpanish16,618
OhioSpanish294,716
OklahomaSpanish305,840
OregonSpanish365,276
PennsylvaniaSpanish686,810
Rhode IslandSpanish141,693
South CarolinaSpanish262,999
South DakotaSpanish22,332
TennesseeSpanish348,679
TexasSpanish7,932,949
UtahSpanish345,046
VermontSpanish8,063
VirginiaSpanish649,137
WashingtonSpanish665,921
West VirginiaSpanish19,863
WisconsinSpanish276,721
WyomingSpanish26,551
California has by far the largest Spanish-speaking population after English, with more than 10.5 million people speaking Spanish at home. Texas follows with nearly 7.9 million, while Florida has 4.8 million.
Together, California and Texas alone account for more Spanish speakers than the populations of many countries. The data highlights how Spanish has become a truly national language, spoken widely across the South, Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast.
New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Arizona also each have more than one million Spanish speakers.
Three States Break the Pattern
Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine are the only states where Spanish is not the second most-spoken language.
In Alaska, the leading language category after English is Alaska Native Languages, with nearly 25,000 speakers.
In Hawaii, Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, and other Austronesian languages lead with more than 117,000 speakers. These languages are linked to Filipino, Samoan, Native Hawaiian, and broader Pacific Islander communities.
Maine’s second language is French, with more than 30,000 speakers. This reflects French-speaking heritage along the Quebec border and the long history of Francophone communities in northern New England.
The Largest Spanish-Speaking States
The biggest Spanish-speaking populations are concentrated in large states and major migration hubs. California, Texas, and Florida alone account for more than 23 million Spanish speakers.
Other major centers include New York, with 2.8 million Spanish speakers, and Illinois, with 1.7 million. The map shows that Spanish is no longer concentrated in a handful of border states. It is now the clear second language across almost the entire U.S., with only three states reflecting different regional histories.
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