#3 most spoken · language profile
Vietnamese in the United States
An estimated 1,550,493 people aged 5 and older speak Vietnamese at home across U.S. metropolitan areas. About 57.6% of them, roughly 893,418 people, speak English less than "very well." Interpreter demand is highest where the limited-English population is largest, such as Atlanta, where about 65% of Vietnamese speakers report speaking English less than "very well."
Where Vietnamese is spoken: top metro areas
Ranked by number of speakers at home. 192 additional metro areas have Vietnamese speakers but did not meet Census reliability standards and are not listed.
| # | Metro area | Speakers (± margin) | Limited English | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 271,756 ±8K | 60.6% | 59.7–61.6% |
| 2 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 123,234 ±6K | 58.4% | 56.5–60.2% |
| 3 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 118,688 ±5K | 59.9% | 58.4–61.3% |
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 81,655 ±4K | 54.2% | 52.3–56.1% |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 60,052 ±4K | 58.3% | 56.4–60.3% |
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 52,786 ±3K | 54.4% | 52.3–56.4% |
| 7 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 47,228 ±4K | 56.3% | 53.7–58.9% |
| 8 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 47,169 ±4K | 65% | 62.3–67.6% |
| 9 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 40,641 ±3K | 57.4% | 55.1–59.7% |
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 34,157 ±2K | 59.6% | 56.3–62.8% |
| 11 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 32,419 ±3K | 62% | 58.9–65.2% |
| 12 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 29,675 ±2K | 59% | 56.4–61.7% |
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 28,328 ±2K | 54.9% | 52.2–57.5% |
| 14 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 27,127 ±2K | 59.2% | 56.6–61.9% |
| 15 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 22,118 ±2K | 53.9% | 50.3–57.5% |
| 16 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 20,782 ±2K | 52.5% | 49–55.9% |
| 17 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 20,328 ±2K | 51.4% | 47.2–55.7% |
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 20,176 ±2K | 55.2% | 51.8–58.6% |
| 19 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 17,026 ±2K | 51.2% | 46.4–56% |
| 20 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 16,701 ±2K | 55% | 49.8–60.3% |
| 21 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 16,361 ±2K | 54.4% | 50.1–58.7% |
| 22 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 14,508 ±2K | 55.2% | 50.7–59.6% |
| 23 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 13,463 ±1K | 48% | 43–53% |
| 24 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 13,198 ±2K | 61.2% | 56.5–65.9% |
| 25 | Oklahoma City, OK | 11,891 ±1K | 56.4% | 50.4–62.5% |
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.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many people speak Vietnamese in the United States?
- An estimated 1,550,493 people aged 5 and older speak Vietnamese at home across U.S. metropolitan areas, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey.
- What share of Vietnamese speakers have limited English proficiency?
- About 57.6 percent, roughly 893,418 people, report speaking English less than "very well." That is the population professional interpreters serve.
- Which U.S. metro area has the most Vietnamese speakers?
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, with about 271,756 Vietnamese speakers at home.
- Where is Vietnamese interpreter demand highest?
- Demand tracks the size of the limited-English population. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA stands out, where about 65 percent of Vietnamese speakers report speaking English less than "very well."