{"id":4395,"date":"2025-01-28T15:35:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T15:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/?p=4395"},"modified":"2026-01-28T21:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:44:41","slug":"which-languages-are-growing-the-most-in-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/which-languages-are-growing-the-most-in-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Languages Are Growing the Most in the United States?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States of America is home to a diverse population that communicates in over 350 languages<\/a>. With so many languages spoken in the U.S., businesses nationwide often require a multilingual workforce to meet customer needs. The demand for individuals with specific language skills changes as new language trends emerge.<\/p>\n

Professionals must understand these trends to stay competitive in the job market, communicate effectively with customers, and tailor products or services to new markets. This article covers the most common and growing languages in the United States. Professionals can use this information to make more informed decisions about their language skill development.<\/p>\n

Most Common Languages in the U.S.<\/h2>\n

According to data published by the United States Census Bureau in 2023<\/a>, the majority of U.S. citizens speak the following languages:<\/p>\n

\"Most<\/p>\n

1. English<\/h3>\n

More than 75% of Americans speak only English, making it the most widely spoken language in the country. While there is no official U.S. language<\/a>, more than half of all U.S. states have designated English as their official language.<\/p>\n

2. Spanish<\/h3>\n

Spanish is the second most common language in the U.S., with about 13% of the population speaking Spanish at home. Besides Mexico, America is one of the countries<\/a> with the most native Spanish speakers. Most of the U.S. Hispanic population lives in California<\/a>, Texas, and Florida.<\/p>\n

3. Chinese<\/h3>\n

The third most commonly spoken language in the U.S. is Chinese. Roughly 1% of the population speaks a Chinese language \u2014 including Mandarin and Cantonese \u2014 at home. California and New York have the largest percentage<\/a> of Chinese Americans in the U.S.<\/p>\n

4. Tagalog<\/h3>\n

Tagalog is the basis of Filipino, one of the official languages of the Phillippines. Most of the native Filipino population speaks Tagalog, and about 4.1 million Filipino Americans<\/a> live in the U.S., according to a 2024 article by the Pew Research Center. Most Filipino Americans live in California, Hawaii, and Texas.<\/p>\n

5. Vietnamese<\/h3>\n

Roughly 1.5 million people speak Vietnamese in America, which is about 0.5% of the total population. According to an article published by the Pew Research Center in 2024, Vietnamese Americans make up 8%<\/a> of the United States’ Asian population, and they mainly live in California.<\/p>\n

Languages in the U.S. With the Most Growth<\/h2>\n

While the main language in the U.S. is English, other languages have seen significant growth throughout the years. Looking at the numerical change in language use data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a> between 2018 and 2023, the following languages are growing the most nationwide:<\/p>\n

1. Spanish<\/h3>\n

Spanish is already prevalent in the U.S. but has become increasingly widespread in recent years. Since 2018, there have been more than 1.9 million new Spanish speakers in the U.S. The influx of immigrants from Latin American countries<\/a> has contributed to this phenomenon. However, many Americans also choose to learn Spanish in schools and universities.<\/p>\n

2. Portuguese<\/h3>\n

Portuguese speakers in the U.S. have grown by 275,000 in the past five years. This growth is most likely due to an increase in Brazilian immigrants<\/a>, who chose to leave their country because of political insecurity. Portuguese is\u00a0the official language of Brazil<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Ukrainian<\/h3>\n

According to a 2024 report by the United Nations, over 6 million Ukrainians<\/a> have left their country to seek refuge elsewhere due to the recent conflict in Ukraine. This mass population displacement is one of the factors that has led to an increase of about 150,000 Ukrainian-speaking people living in America, resulting in a total of 485,000 people in 2023.<\/p>\n

4. Arabic<\/h3>\n

In 2023, more than 1.4 million people speak Arabic in the U.S. This amount has grown by around 165,000 since 2018 and more than 580% since 1980<\/a>, according to a study by Pew Research Center in 2023. Immigration may be the primary factor for this growth. However, the rise in non-Arabic-speaking individuals learning Arabic to navigate the growing Arab market is also a factor.<\/p>\n

5. Telugu<\/h3>\n

Telugu is a language found primarily in southeastern Indian<\/a> states, such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. More than 515,000 Telugu speakers live in the U.S., which is a 115,000 increase since 2018. This increase can be attributed to the rising demand for technology and engineering professionals in the U.S., many of which businesses and universities recruit from Telugu-speaking states<\/a> like Hyderabad.<\/p>\n

Many sources state that Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the U.S., particularly since Telugu language use grew by 86%<\/a> between 2010 and 2017. The Center for Immigration Studies revealed these statistics in their 2018 language report. While this growth has slowed in recent years, the amount of U.S. Telugu speakers is still increasing.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Understanding Language Trends<\/h2>\n

Changes in language trends are an essential consideration for professionals in various industries, particularly tourism, education, healthcare, and trade. Businesses in these industries need multilingual language skills<\/a> to communicate with a diverse consumer base. Specifically, multilingualism is necessary for customer service, sales, marketing, management, and IT roles.<\/p>\n

By staying ahead of language trends, professionals see the following benefits:<\/p>\n

Informed Language Decisions<\/h3>\n

Language trends can be important when learning a new language for professional development. Without knowledge of current trends, professionals may struggle to decide on a language to learn. Choose the best language to meet your professional goals.<\/p>\n

Increased Job Opportunities<\/h3>\n

Many U.S. employers face a language skills gap and show increased demand<\/a>\u00a0for individuals who speak more than English. By learning an in-demand language, professionals can broaden their job opportunities<\/a> and make themselves more attractive to employers. It can also open the door to promotions and pay raises.<\/p>\n

Competitive Advantage<\/h3>\n

Understanding language trends can give professionals an advantage in a competitive job market. As less common languages like Telugu grow in the U.S., businesses may increase their demand for individuals who can speak these specific languages. Choosing to learn an underserved, fast-growing language can differentiate you from other job applicants and help you stand out.<\/p>\n

Prove Your Language Skills Through Language Testing International\u00ae<\/h2>\n

\"Prove<\/a><\/p>\n

Many employers value language skills but require proof to validate proficiency claims. Through Language Testing International (LTI), you can receive an official language certification from ACTFL. ACTFL is a leader in proficiency-based teaching and testing, and LTI is the exclusive licensee of ACTFL assessments. Many businesses and organizations worldwide recognize and accept ACTFL certification.<\/p>\n

We offer language proficiency testing for more than 120 languages. Whether you want to test your proficiency in a widely-used language like Spanish or an emerging language like Telugu, LTI can help. The tests we offer assess proficiency across the four language skills \u2014 speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Your results will indicate your proficiency level, represented against a scale for ease of understanding.<\/p>\n

Browse our available certifications online<\/a> to get started today. You can take a test from anywhere that is convenient for you, including at home or work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States of America is home to a diverse population that communicates in over 350 languages. With so many languages spoken in the U.S., businesses nationwide often require a multilingual workforce to meet customer needs. The demand for individuals with specific language skills changes as new language trends emerge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":4401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-educational"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-Which-Languages-Are-Growing.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4395"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5340,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395\/revisions\/5340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}