#35 most spoken · language profile
Malayalam in the United States
An estimated 202,269 people aged 5 and older speak Malayalam at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 24.9% of them, roughly 50,263 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as New York, where about 33.2% of Malayalam speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Malayalam is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 108 additional metro areas have Malayalam 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 | 34,468 ±3K | 33.2% | 30.2–36.2% |
| 2 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 21,184 ±2K | 30.5% | 27.8–33.2% |
| 3 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 20,463 ±2K | 27.5% | 23.3–31.7% |
| 4 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 15,115 ±2K | 30% | 26.2–33.8% |
| 5 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 11,614 ±2K | 33.1% | 26.8–39.5% |
| 6 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 6,105 ±1K | 16.6% | 11.8–21.4% |
| 7 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 5,568 ±1K | 11.8% | 6.3–17.3% |
| 8 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 5,416 ±932 | not reliable | — |
| 9 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 4,805 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 10 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 4,648 ±865 | 17.9% | 11.6–24.2% |
| 11 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 4,349 ±960 | 17.7% | 11.4–24.1% |
| 12 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,939 ±1K | 18.2% | 12.1–24.4% |
| 13 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 3,857 ±974 | 19.5% | 12.2–26.8% |
| 14 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2,939 ±693 | 19.3% | 12.8–25.9% |
| 15 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 2,780 ±662 | 31.3% | 23.9–38.6% |
| 16 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 2,527 ±804 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 2,070 ±610 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 2,067 ±867 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | Oklahoma City, OK | 2,029 ±784 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT | 1,899 ±689 | not reliable | — |
| 21 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,665 ±554 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 1,488 ±510 | not reliable | — |
| 23 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,433 ±660 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1,361 ±572 | not reliable | — |
| 25 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 1,277 ±546 | 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 Malayalam 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 Malayalam in the United States?
- An estimated 202,269 people aged 5 and older speak Malayalam at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Malayalam speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 24.9 percent, roughly 50,263 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Malayalam speakers?
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, with about 34,468 Malayalam speakers at home.
- Where is Malayalam interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA stands out, where about 33.2 percent of Malayalam speakers report speaking English less than "very well."