#37 most spoken · language profile
Swahili in the United States
An estimated 180,746 people aged 5 and older speak Swahili at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 30.2% of them, roughly 54,669 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Boise City, where about 56.6% of Swahili speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Swahili is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 162 additional metro areas have Swahili speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 13,930 ±2K | 23.9% | 18.5–29.3% |
| 2 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 11,342 ±4K | 23.7% | 14.8–32.6% |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 9,692 ±1K | 26.4% | 20.9–31.9% |
| 4 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 7,584 ±2K | 35.3% | 25.8–44.7% |
| 5 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 6,987 ±1K | 13.1% | 8.8–17.5% |
| 6 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 6,710 ±1K | 32.6% | 22.4–42.9% |
| 7 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 6,478 ±2K | 21.1% | 13.4–28.8% |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 6,174 ±1K | 16.8% | 11.3–22.3% |
| 9 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 5,957 ±2K | 10.8% | 6–15.6% |
| 10 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 4,332 ±1K | 41.9% | 31.3–52.4% |
| 11 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 3,633 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 12 | Columbus, OH | 3,412 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 13 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,177 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 14 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 2,430 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 15 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 2,334 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 16 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 2,328 ±870 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Rockford, IL | 2,280 ±908 | not reliable | — |
| 18 | Worcester, MA-CT | 2,232 ±642 | not reliable | — |
| 19 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 2,174 ±616 | not reliable | — |
| 20 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 2,158 ±1K | not reliable | — |
| 21 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 2,084 ±909 | not reliable | — |
| 22 | Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI | 1,893 ±889 | not reliable | — |
| 23 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 1,725 ±523 | not reliable | — |
| 24 | Boise City, ID | 1,674 ±595 | 56.6% | 37.4–75.8% |
| 25 | Lancaster, PA | 1,459 ±633 | 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 Swahili 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 Swahili in the United States?
- An estimated 180,746 people aged 5 and older speak Swahili at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Swahili speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 30.2 percent, roughly 54,669 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Swahili speakers?
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, with about 13,930 Swahili speakers at home.
- Where is Swahili interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Boise City, ID stands out, where about 56.6 percent of Swahili speakers report speaking English less than "very well."