#50 most spoken · language profile
Burmese in the United States
An estimated 97,925 people aged 5 and older speak Burmese at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 60.7% of them, roughly 59,481 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Chicago, where about 69.2% of Burmese speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Burmese is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 94 additional metro areas have Burmese speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 7,625 ±1K | 63.3% | 58.7–67.9% |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 7,532 ±1K | 58.1% | 50.8–65.3% |
| 3 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 7,528 ±1K | 65.2% | 58.7–71.8% |
| 4 | Fort Wayne, IN | 6,258 ±1K | 62.3% | 55.9–68.6% |
| 5 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 5,269 ±1K | 58.6% | 49.6–67.7% |
| 6 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 3,490 ±911 | 60.1% | 52.4–67.9% |
| 7 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 3,098 ±985 | 45.2% | 33.9–56.5% |
| 8 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 2,910 ±974 | 69.2% | 59.8–78.6% |
| 9 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,724 ±791 | 56.8% | 47.3–66.3% |
| 10 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 2,408 ±939 | 59.1% | 49.5–68.8% |
| 11 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 2,382 ±891 | 55.6% | 44.9–66.4% |
| 12 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 2,068 ±565 | 48.6% | 39.1–58.1% |
| 13 | Tulsa, OK | 1,816 ±711 | 58.8% | 45.3–72.4% |
| 14 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,732 ±803 | 62.1% | 48.3–76% |
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 1,605 ±746 | not reliable | — |
| 16 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1,517 ±567 | 57.7% | 47.9–67.5% |
| 17 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1,394 ±635 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 1,370 ±535 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | Battle Creek, MI | 1,299 ±521 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Utica-Rome, NY | 1,277 ±496 | 67.7% | 57.6–77.7% |
| 21 | Jacksonville, FL | 1,264 ±575 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 998 ±353 | not reliable | — |
| 23 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 840 ±321 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 697 ±318 | not reliable | — |
| 25 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 694 ±310 | 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 Burmese 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 Burmese in the United States?
- An estimated 97,925 people aged 5 and older speak Burmese at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Burmese speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 60.7 percent, roughly 59,481 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Burmese speakers?
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, with about 7,625 Burmese speakers at home.
- Where is Burmese interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI stands out, where about 69.2 percent of Burmese speakers report speaking English less than "very well."