#8 most spoken · language profile
Russian in the United States
An estimated 1,002,127 people aged 5 and older speak Russian at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 41.6% of them, roughly 416,864 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Sacramento, where about 54.6% of Russian speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Russian is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 190 additional metro areas have Russian 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 | 258,101 ±8K | 50.9% | 49.6–52.2% |
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 65,072 ±5K | 44.9% | 42.8–47% |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 43,880 ±4K | 41% | 38–43.9% |
| 4 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 43,410 ±3K | 40.7% | 37–44.4% |
| 5 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 39,803 ±4K | 51.2% | 47.4–54.9% |
| 6 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 35,689 ±4K | 54.6% | 51.1–58.2% |
| 7 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 32,969 ±2K | 43.6% | 40–47.2% |
| 8 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 31,454 ±2K | 38.1% | 35.2–40.9% |
| 9 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 28,705 ±2K | 34.8% | 31.7–37.8% |
| 10 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 25,583 ±3K | 41.1% | 37.2–45% |
| 11 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 24,194 ±2K | 25.7% | 22.8–28.5% |
| 12 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 16,760 ±2K | 34.4% | 30.4–38.4% |
| 13 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 14,641 ±2K | 40.9% | 36.6–45.2% |
| 14 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 13,992 ±2K | 27.4% | 21.8–33% |
| 15 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 12,821 ±2K | 31.8% | 27.9–35.6% |
| 16 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 12,500 ±2K | 35.3% | 30.6–40.1% |
| 17 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 10,286 ±2K | 39.3% | 33.1–45.6% |
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 10,188 ±1K | 37.8% | 32.5–43.2% |
| 19 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 9,850 ±1K | 32.2% | 27.3–37.2% |
| 20 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 8,649 ±1K | 40.2% | 34.4–46% |
| 21 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 8,134 ±1K | 47.7% | 41.8–53.5% |
| 22 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 7,706 ±1K | 38.2% | 31.3–45.2% |
| 23 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 6,423 ±1K | 42.1% | 35.2–49% |
| 24 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 6,360 ±2K | 40.9% | 34.1–47.8% |
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 Russian speakers be understood
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Russian in the United States?
- An estimated 1,002,127 people aged 5 and older speak Russian at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Russian speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 41.6 percent, roughly 416,864 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Russian speakers?
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, with about 258,101 Russian speakers at home.
- Where is Russian interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA stands out, where about 54.6 percent of Russian speakers report speaking English less than "very well."