#91 most spoken · language profile
Tonga in the United States
An estimated 25,158 people aged 5 and older speak Tonga at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 26% of them, roughly 6,551 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as San Francisco, where about 34% of Tonga speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Tonga is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 34 additional metro areas have Tonga speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 4,461 ±1K | 34% | 27.2–40.7% |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, UT | 3,777 ±923 | 25.2% | 19.8–30.6% |
| 3 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2,125 ±631 | not reliable | — |
| 4 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 1,188 ±533 | not reliable | — |
| 5 | Provo-Orem, UT | 984 ±376 | not reliable | — |
| 6 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 937 ±414 | not reliable | — |
| 7 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 877 ±428 | not reliable | — |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 173 ±76 | 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 Tonga 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 Tonga in the United States?
- An estimated 25,158 people aged 5 and older speak Tonga at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Tonga speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 26 percent, roughly 6,551 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Tonga speakers?
- San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA, with about 4,461 Tonga speakers at home.
- Where is Tonga interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA stands out, where about 34 percent of Tonga speakers report speaking English less than "very well."