#31 most spoken · language profile
Hebrew in the United States
An estimated 225,085 people aged 5 and older speak Hebrew at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 14.5% of them, roughly 32,583 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Los Angeles, where about 18.8% of Hebrew speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Hebrew is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 120 additional metro areas have Hebrew 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 | 75,127 ±5K | 16.6% | 15.1–18.2% |
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 25,557 ±2K | 18.8% | 16.3–21.4% |
| 3 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 17,681 ±2K | 14.5% | 11.2–17.8% |
| 4 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 9,478 ±1K | 11.5% | 8.1–14.9% |
| 5 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 7,067 ±2K | 11.2% | 7.6–14.7% |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 5,610 ±797 | not reliable | — |
| 7 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 5,342 ±926 | 7.2% | 4.1–10.3% |
| 8 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 4,976 ±904 | 8.3% | 4.9–11.8% |
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 4,395 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 10 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3,689 ±935 | not reliable | — |
| 11 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 3,489 ±661 | 9.6% | 5.3–13.9% |
| 12 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 3,191 ±763 | not reliable | — |
| 13 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 3,082 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 14 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,852 ±754 | not reliable | — |
| 15 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 2,617 ±763 | 18.8% | 11–26.5% |
| 16 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 2,604 ±767 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 2,068 ±599 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,917 ±554 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1,661 ±451 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 1,579 ±478 | not reliable | — |
| 21 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 1,461 ±693 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | New Haven-Milford, CT | 1,362 ±472 | not reliable | — |
| 23 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 1,260 ±538 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,239 ±530 | 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 Hebrew speakers be understood
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Hebrew in the United States?
- An estimated 225,085 people aged 5 and older speak Hebrew at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Hebrew speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 14.5 percent, roughly 32,583 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Hebrew speakers?
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, with about 75,127 Hebrew speakers at home.
- Where is Hebrew interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands out, where about 18.8 percent of Hebrew speakers report speaking English less than "very well."