Languages spoken in the United States
North America · Capital: Washington D.C. · Population 342 million
In the United States, three languages have official status: Spanish, Chamorro, and Samoan. English is used as a de facto official language. English is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 96.5% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 330.1 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are Spanish at 10.4% and Chinese at 0.7%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. English is also spoken in all two of its neighbours. In total, six languages are recorded in the United States, and their shares add up to 108.2% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.1 of them.
What languages are spoken in the United States?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 96.5% | De facto official | 330.1 million |
| SpanishIndo-European | 10.4% | Official | 35.5 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 0.7% | Spoken | 2.4 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 0.6% | Spoken | 1.9 million |
| Chamorro | <0.1% | Official | 46,498 |
| SamoanAustronesian | <0.1% | Official | 43,456 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of the United States?
In the United States, three languages have official status: Spanish, Chamorro, and Samoan. English is also used as a de facto official language. English is spoken by an estimated 96.5% of the population, or roughly 330.1 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. A de facto official language is one used throughout government and public life without being named as official in law.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak English in the United States?
An estimated 96.5% of the United States's 342 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 330.1 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about the United States
- Capital
- Washington D.C.
- Population
- 342 million
- Continent
- North America
- Area
- 9,372,610 km²
- Currency
- USD
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 2
- ISO codes
- US / USA / 840
Which countries border the United States?
The United States shares a land border with two countries: Canada and Mexico. English, the most widely spoken language in the United States, is also spoken in Canada and Mexico.
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Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.