#22 most spoken · language profile
Bengali in the United States
An estimated 431,574 people aged 5 and older speak Bengali at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 41.3% of them, roughly 178,244 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Atlantic City, where about 57.9% of Bengali speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Bengali is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 169 additional metro areas have Bengali speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 164,592 ±7K | 50.5% | 48.9–52.1% |
| 2 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 27,864 ±3K | 52.8% | 48.7–56.8% |
| 3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 22,411 ±2K | 33.5% | 29.6–37.4% |
| 4 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 18,244 ±2K | 42.7% | 38–47.3% |
| 5 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 14,571 ±2K | 42.5% | 37.7–47.4% |
| 6 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 13,303 ±2K | 29.1% | 24.8–33.4% |
| 7 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 11,686 ±1K | 52.7% | 47.6–57.9% |
| 8 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 11,267 ±2K | 38% | 34–42.1% |
| 9 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 8,511 ±1K | 37.3% | 30.3–44.3% |
| 10 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 8,184 ±2K | 37.2% | 30.2–44.2% |
| 11 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 7,563 ±2K | 42.9% | 36.8–49% |
| 12 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 7,351 ±1K | 25.1% | 18.5–31.8% |
| 13 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 6,906 ±1K | 19.2% | 13.4–25% |
| 14 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 5,679 ±1K | 18.1% | 13.5–22.7% |
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 4,341 ±845 | 18.4% | 11.4–25.4% |
| 16 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 4,062 ±992 | 33.1% | 26.9–39.3% |
| 17 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 3,820 ±862 | 57.9% | 50.7–65.1% |
| 18 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 3,575 ±1K | 39.4% | 33.3–45.4% |
| 19 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 3,435 ±968 | 19.9% | 12.5–27.2% |
| 20 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2,757 ±761 | 30% | 21.3–38.6% |
| 21 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 2,595 ±824 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 2,462 ±783 | not reliable | — |
| 23 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 2,442 ±966 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 2,432 ±762 | 21.5% | 12–30.9% |
| 25 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 2,348 ±648 | 25.3% | 16–34.5% |
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 Bengali speakers be understood
Every dot on this map is a person who deserves to be understood. Medical, legal, and community interpreters turn that need into access. Training is how you start.
Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Bengali in the United States?
- An estimated 431,574 people aged 5 and older speak Bengali at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Bengali speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 41.3 percent, roughly 178,244 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Bengali speakers?
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, with about 164,592 Bengali speakers at home.
- Where is Bengali interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ stands out, where about 57.9 percent of Bengali speakers report speaking English less than "very well."