Languages Spoken in New York: Map and County Data

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, about 5.6 million people age 5 and older in New York speak a language other than English at home, representing 30.4% of the state’s population age 5+. Spanish is the most spoken non-English language, with about 2.8 million speakers, followed by Chinese and Russian.

Most Spoken Non-English Languages in New York

The most spoken non-English languages in New York are Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. Spanish is spoken at home by about 2.8 million people, or roughly 15.0% of the state’s population age 5+.

Key Language Findings for New York

How Language Use Varies Across New York Counties

Language patterns differ sharply by county. Spanish is the leading non-English language across most of New York, but county-level rankings show large local communities speaking Chinese, Russian, other Indic languages, Italian, French, African languages, Yiddish, and other languages.

Queens County has the largest number of residents speaking a language other than English at home, while Bronx County has the highest share relative to its age-5+ population, at 58.3%. In Tompkins County, Chinese is the leading non-English language, showing how statewide rankings can differ substantially at the local level.

English Proficiency and Language Access in New York

Speaking a language other than English at home does not necessarily mean someone has limited English proficiency. Census table B16001 also separates language groups by whether residents report speaking English "very well" or less than "very well," providing additional context for organizations planning language access services. For a broader look at limited English proficiency across the country, explore Boostlingo's LEP State Map.

About the Data

Data on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2011–2015 5-Year Estimates, table B16001, Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over. Statewide and county estimates use the same Census table so the figures can be compared consistently across the page.

The estimates describe languages spoken at home among residents age 5 and older. Census estimates include margins of error, particularly for smaller counties and less common language groups.