#29 most spoken · language profile
Amharic in the United States
An estimated 239,933 people aged 5 and older speak Amharic at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 38.5% of them, roughly 92,456 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Charlotte, where about 54.3% of Amharic speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Amharic is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 110 additional metro areas have Amharic speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 67,113 ±5K | 37.5% | 34.8–40.1% |
| 2 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 22,401 ±4K | 33.2% | 28.1–38.3% |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 16,840 ±2K | 42.1% | 36.3–47.9% |
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 15,003 ±2K | 41.7% | 35.9–47.5% |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 11,776 ±3K | 39.8% | 33.3–46.3% |
| 6 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 8,676 ±2K | 48.4% | 41–55.9% |
| 7 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 8,412 ±1K | 47.8% | 40.2–55.4% |
| 8 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 7,179 ±1K | 41.3% | 34.4–48.3% |
| 9 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 5,533 ±1K | 29.3% | 21.1–37.6% |
| 10 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 4,731 ±1K | 25.6% | 17.8–33.4% |
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 4,466 ±880 | 35.6% | 27.6–43.6% |
| 12 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 4,066 ±1K | 41.4% | 33.1–49.7% |
| 13 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 3,469 ±703 | 30.3% | 22.2–38.5% |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | 3,169 ±1K | 41.7% | 28.7–54.7% |
| 15 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 3,032 ±827 | 43.9% | 34.3–53.5% |
| 16 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 2,929 ±974 | 39.2% | 28.9–49.5% |
| 17 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 2,873 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 2,735 ±826 | 42.5% | 32.2–52.8% |
| 19 | Sioux Falls, SD | 2,681 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 2,539 ±900 | not reliable | — |
| 21 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 2,449 ±777 | 46.8% | 37.2–56.4% |
| 22 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 2,242 ±681 | 54.3% | 42.1–66.4% |
| 23 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,119 ±842 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,549 ±753 | not reliable | — |
| 25 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 1,264 ±388 | not reliable | — |
Limited English means speaking English less than "very well." Margins of error are at the 90 percent confidence level. "Range" is the 90 percent confidence interval for the limited-English share.
Help Amharic speakers be understood
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Amharic in the United States?
- An estimated 239,933 people aged 5 and older speak Amharic at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Amharic speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 38.5 percent, roughly 92,456 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Amharic speakers?
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, with about 67,113 Amharic speakers at home.
- Where is Amharic interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC stands out, where about 54.3 percent of Amharic speakers report speaking English less than "very well."