#57 most spoken · language profile
Pashto in the United States
An estimated 74,963 people aged 5 and older speak Pashto at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 50.4% of them, roughly 37,788 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as San Antonio, where about 74.3% of Pashto speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Pashto is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 94 additional metro areas have Pashto speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 7,429 ±1K | 43.4% | 37.3–49.5% |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 5,371 ±2K | 49% | 37.1–61% |
| 3 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 5,126 ±1K | 49% | 41.3–56.7% |
| 4 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 4,200 ±2K | 74.3% | 61.7–86.9% |
| 5 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 3,596 ±1K | 43.4% | 30.7–56.1% |
| 6 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2,749 ±1K | 37.9% | 23.4–52.4% |
| 7 | Stockton, CA | 2,724 ±956 | 56.3% | 41.5–71.1% |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2,704 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 9 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,415 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 10 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 2,124 ±789 | 57.2% | 45.1–69.3% |
| 11 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 2,089 ±684 | 41% | 27.2–54.8% |
| 12 | New Haven-Milford, CT | 1,277 ±580 | 57.9% | 34.3–81.4% |
| 13 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,234 ±538 | not reliable | — |
| 14 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 993 ±464 | not reliable | — |
| 15 | Richmond, VA | 760 ±317 | 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 Pashto 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 Pashto in the United States?
- An estimated 74,963 people aged 5 and older speak Pashto at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Pashto speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 50.4 percent, roughly 37,788 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Pashto speakers?
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, with about 7,429 Pashto speakers at home.
- Where is Pashto interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX stands out, where about 74.3 percent of Pashto speakers report speaking English less than "very well."