#120 most spoken · language profile
Lakota in the United States
An estimated 4,663 people aged 5 and older speak Lakota at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 15.3% of them, roughly 716 people, speak English less than "very well."
4,663
Speakers age 5 and older
15.3%
Limited English
2
Metro areas with reliable counts
Where Lakota is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 19 additional metro areas have Lakota speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rapid City, SD | 1,362 ±471 | not reliable | — |
| 2 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 290 ±132 | 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.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Lakota in the United States?
- An estimated 4,663 people aged 5 and older speak Lakota at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Lakota speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 15.3 percent, roughly 716 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Lakota speakers?
- Rapid City, SD, with about 1,362 Lakota speakers at home.