#7 most spoken · language profile
Korean in the United States
An estimated 1,088,087 people aged 5 and older speak Korean at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 50.3% of them, roughly 547,122 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Philadelphia, where about 56.8% of Korean speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Korean is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 179 additional metro areas have Korean 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 | 234,804 ±7K | 55.9% | 54.8–57% |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 152,621 ±5K | 52.9% | 51.5–54.4% |
| 3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 64,775 ±4K | 48% | 45.9–50.2% |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 47,216 ±3K | 52.9% | 50.1–55.6% |
| 5 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 42,498 ±3K | 50.6% | 47.6–53.6% |
| 6 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 35,732 ±3K | 49.6% | 46.7–52.4% |
| 7 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 34,620 ±2K | 44.7% | 42.6–46.9% |
| 8 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 32,629 ±2K | 48.8% | 45.5–52.2% |
| 9 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 28,443 ±2K | 45% | 42.1–47.8% |
| 10 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 22,479 ±2K | 56.8% | 53.8–59.8% |
| 11 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 20,665 ±2K | 54.6% | 51.6–57.6% |
| 12 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 18,276 ±2K | 50% | 46.6–53.4% |
| 13 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 17,101 ±2K | 37.9% | 34.4–41.3% |
| 14 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 15,021 ±1K | 48.8% | 45–52.6% |
| 15 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 14,896 ±2K | 49.3% | 44.4–54.1% |
| 16 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 12,033 ±2K | 50.5% | 45.3–55.8% |
| 17 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 10,056 ±1K | 39.6% | 33.7–45.5% |
| 18 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 9,467 ±1K | 43.9% | 39.7–48.1% |
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 9,171 ±1K | 40.2% | 34.8–45.5% |
| 20 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 9,065 ±1K | 45.7% | 39.2–52.2% |
| 21 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 8,748 ±1K | 45.5% | 39.4–51.5% |
| 22 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 8,241 ±1K | 49.3% | 44.1–54.4% |
| 23 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 5,331 ±757 | 44.3% | 38–50.6% |
| 24 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 4,331 ±752 | 44.2% | 37–51.5% |
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.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Korean in the United States?
- An estimated 1,088,087 people aged 5 and older speak Korean at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Korean speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 50.3 percent, roughly 547,122 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Korean speakers?
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, with about 234,804 Korean speakers at home.
- Where is Korean interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands out, where about 56.8 percent of Korean speakers report speaking English less than "very well."