#48 most spoken · language profile
Dutch in the United States
An estimated 111,548 people aged 5 and older speak Dutch at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 14.4% of them, roughly 16,085 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Eau Claire, where about 39% of Dutch speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Dutch is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 185 additional metro areas have Dutch 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 | 7,981 ±1K | 13.8% | 9.4–18.2% |
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 6,404 ±1K | 10.6% | 6.1–15.1% |
| 3 | Lancaster, PA | 4,389 ±2K | 15.7% | 7.6–23.8% |
| 4 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 3,637 ±942 | not reliable | — |
| 5 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 3,460 ±716 | not reliable | — |
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 2,935 ±621 | not reliable | — |
| 7 | Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 2,591 ±705 | 28.3% | 18.5–38% |
| 8 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 2,586 ±813 | not reliable | — |
| 9 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,467 ±804 | not reliable | — |
| 10 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 2,221 ±657 | not reliable | — |
| 11 | Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI | 2,107 ±581 | 14.6% | 8.3–20.8% |
| 12 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2,029 ±728 | not reliable | — |
| 13 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,971 ±501 | not reliable | — |
| 14 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 1,870 ±783 | not reliable | — |
| 15 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,821 ±517 | not reliable | — |
| 16 | Rochester, NY | 1,729 ±568 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 1,636 ±456 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,597 ±653 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 1,520 ±390 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 1,319 ±425 | not reliable | — |
| 21 | Wheeling, WV-OH | 1,235 ±548 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1,124 ±345 | not reliable | — |
| 23 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 1,069 ±482 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 1,033 ±371 | not reliable | — |
| 25 | Eau Claire, WI | 1,016 ±345 | 39% | 26.9–51% |
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 Dutch speakers be understood
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Dutch in the United States?
- An estimated 111,548 people aged 5 and older speak Dutch at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Dutch speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 14.4 percent, roughly 16,085 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Dutch speakers?
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, with about 7,981 Dutch speakers at home.
- Where is Dutch interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Eau Claire, WI stands out, where about 39 percent of Dutch speakers report speaking English less than "very well."