#47 most spoken · language profile
Igbo in the United States
An estimated 118,987 people aged 5 and older speak Igbo at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 14.8% of them, roughly 17,610 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Los Angeles, where about 16.1% of Igbo speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Igbo is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 109 additional metro areas have Igbo speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 16,683 ±3K | not reliable | — |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 14,230 ±2K | 15.7% | 11.2–20.2% |
| 3 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 9,054 ±2K | 14.3% | 8.7–19.8% |
| 4 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 8,135 ±2K | not reliable | — |
| 5 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 7,327 ±1K | 8.2% | 4.3–12.1% |
| 6 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 5,987 ±1K | 16.1% | 11.1–21.1% |
| 7 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 5,163 ±1K | 15.8% | 9.8–21.8% |
| 8 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3,349 ±982 | not reliable | — |
| 9 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 2,824 ±835 | not reliable | — |
| 10 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,753 ±908 | not reliable | — |
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2,556 ±802 | not reliable | — |
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 2,514 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 13 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 2,458 ±938 | not reliable | — |
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1,861 ±730 | not reliable | — |
| 15 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,476 ±502 | not reliable | — |
| 16 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1,393 ±682 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 1,146 ±513 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Columbus, OH | 1,099 ±487 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 851 ±394 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 843 ±406 | not reliable | — |
| 21 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 413 ±158 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | Duluth, MN-WI | 57 ±9 | 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 Igbo speakers be understood
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Igbo in the United States?
- An estimated 118,987 people aged 5 and older speak Igbo at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Igbo speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 14.8 percent, roughly 17,610 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Igbo speakers?
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, with about 16,683 Igbo speakers at home.
- Where is Igbo interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands out, where about 16.1 percent of Igbo speakers report speaking English less than "very well."