#62 most spoken · language profile
Tigrinya in the United States
An estimated 62,558 people aged 5 and older speak Tigrinya at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 42% of them, roughly 26,248 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Boston, where about 58.8% of Tigrinya speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Tigrinya is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 59 additional metro areas have Tigrinya 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 | 9,229 ±2K | 34.4% | 28.4–40.3% |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 4,707 ±1K | 42.9% | 33.3–52.6% |
| 3 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 4,088 ±2K | not reliable | — |
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3,955 ±1K | 53.3% | 44.4–62.2% |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 3,527 ±1K | 41.2% | 29–53.5% |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 3,459 ±1K | 53.1% | 43.6–62.6% |
| 7 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 2,557 ±818 | 55.3% | 43.1–67.6% |
| 8 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 2,239 ±931 | not reliable | — |
| 9 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 2,041 ±920 | not reliable | — |
| 10 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,997 ±812 | not reliable | — |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | 1,891 ±886 | not reliable | — |
| 12 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1,855 ±737 | not reliable | — |
| 13 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,387 ±505 | 58.8% | 42.7–74.8% |
| 14 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1,079 ±399 | not reliable | — |
| 15 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 949 ±377 | not reliable | — |
| 16 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 873 ±404 | not reliable | — |
| 17 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 742 ±303 | 53.4% | 36–70.7% |
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 Tigrinya 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 Tigrinya in the United States?
- An estimated 62,558 people aged 5 and older speak Tigrinya at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Tigrinya speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 42 percent, roughly 26,248 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Tigrinya speakers?
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, with about 9,229 Tigrinya speakers at home.
- Where is Tigrinya interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands out, where about 58.8 percent of Tigrinya speakers report speaking English less than "very well."