#53 most spoken · language profile
Kannada in the United States
An estimated 87,331 people aged 5 and older speak Kannada at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 11.5% of them, roughly 10,082 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as San Francisco, where about 15% of Kannada speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Kannada is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 93 additional metro areas have Kannada speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 9,812 ±1K | 12.8% | 9.4–16.3% |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 6,666 ±995 | 10.4% | 6.4–14.4% |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 6,169 ±1K | 15% | 8.6–21.4% |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 5,578 ±1K | 9.7% | 5.5–13.9% |
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 4,824 ±797 | 10% | 5.8–14.2% |
| 6 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 3,744 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 7 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 2,997 ±857 | not reliable | — |
| 8 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 2,929 ±881 | 12.9% | 8.2–17.5% |
| 9 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 2,577 ±809 | not reliable | — |
| 10 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 2,564 ±712 | not reliable | — |
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2,510 ±815 | not reliable | — |
| 12 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2,156 ±482 | not reliable | — |
| 13 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,097 ±645 | not reliable | — |
| 14 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2,020 ±690 | not reliable | — |
| 15 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 1,927 ±598 | not reliable | — |
| 16 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1,499 ±605 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 843 ±363 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Columbus, OH | 810 ±385 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 778 ±370 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 748 ±324 | not reliable | — |
| 21 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 548 ±223 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | St. Joseph, MO-KS | 239 ±114 | 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 Kannada 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 Kannada in the United States?
- An estimated 87,331 people aged 5 and older speak Kannada at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Kannada speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 11.5 percent, roughly 10,082 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Kannada speakers?
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, with about 9,812 Kannada speakers at home.
- Where is Kannada interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA stands out, where about 15 percent of Kannada speakers report speaking English less than "very well."