Languages Spoken in Rhode Island: Map and County Data
Languages Spoken Across Rhode Island Counties
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, about 214,000 people age 5 and older in Rhode Island speak a language other than English at home, representing 21.4% of the state’s population age 5+. Spanish is the most spoken non-English language, with about 113,000 speakers, followed by Portuguese and French.
Most Spoken Non-English Languages in Rhode Island
The most spoken non-English languages in Rhode Island are Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Spanish is spoken at home by about 113,000 people, or roughly 11.3% of the state’s population age 5+.
Key Language Findings for Rhode Island
About 214,000 people in Rhode Island speak a language other than English at home, representing 21.4% of residents age 5 and older.
The most spoken non-English languages in Rhode Island are Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in Rhode Island, with about 113,000 speakers, representing roughly 11.3% of residents age 5 and older.
Providence County has the largest Spanish-speaking population in Rhode Island, with about 103,000 speakers.
Providence County has the largest population speaking a language other than English at home, with more than 177,000 residents.
While Spanish is the most spoken non-English language statewide, Portuguese is the leading non-English language in Bristol County.
How Language Use Varies Across Rhode Island Counties
Language patterns differ sharply by county. Spanish is the leading non-English language across most of Rhode Island, but county-level rankings show large local communities speaking Portuguese, French, Italian, Chinese, and other languages.
Providence County has both the largest number of residents speaking a language other than English at home and the highest share relative to its age-5+ population, at 30.0%. In Bristol County, Portuguese is the leading non-English language, showing how statewide rankings can differ substantially at the local level.
English Proficiency and Language Access in Rhode Island
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.
Plan Language Access Around the Communities You Serve
Boostlingo helps healthcare, government, education, legal, and business organizations connect people with interpreting and translation services across hundreds of languages.
Explore Interpreter ServicesSearch or sort the full county dataset to compare the share of residents speaking a language other than English at home and the six most spoken non-English languages in each county.
| County | % Other Language | Other-Language Speakers | #1 Language | #2 Language | #3 Language | #4 Language | #5 Language | #6 Language | Population Age 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County | 177,923 | Spanish 103,089 | Portuguese 23,394 | French 7,354 | French Creole 7,032 | Chinese 5,112 | Italian 4,374 | 593,824 | |
| Bristol County | 5,901 | Portuguese 3,373 | Spanish 543 | Chinese 364 | French 298 | Italian 231 | German 173 | 47,208 | |
| Newport County | 7,923 | Spanish 3,111 | Portuguese 1,374 | French 666 | Tagalog / Filipino 469 | Greek 209 | German 203 | 79,047 | |
| Kent County | 14,242 | Spanish 4,103 | Portuguese 2,841 | Italian 1,212 | French 1,186 | Chinese 591 | Russian 427 | 156,897 | |
| Washington County | 7,686 | Spanish 2,131 | Italian 1,413 | Chinese 886 | French 548 | Portuguese 522 | German 265 | 121,455 |
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.