U.S. State Map: Commonly Used Languages Other Than English & Spanish

The above map of the United States depicts the languages that are most commonly used in each state that is neither English nor Spanish.

The Non-English & Non-Spanish Languages Each U.S. State Mostly Uses

A 2014 survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, visualized by Ben Blatt of media publication Slate, reveals that Spanish is the most commonly-used non-English language in the United States, with more than three dozen states – 43, to be exact – all in the mainland United States.

European Languages

Taking both English and Spanish out of the way, German is the country’s most-used tongue, and is also the dominant European-based language in the States.

German is prevalent in 16 states, including North Dakota, where it is the state’s most used language that isn’t English.

Six other languages from Europe are listed on the map:

French (11 states)
Italian (2 states: Pennsylvania and New Jersey)
Portuguese (2 states: Massachusetts and Rhode Island)
Russian (1 state: Oregon)
Polish (1 state: Illinois)
French Creole (1 state: Florida)

The states of Louisiana, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have French as their most popular non-English language, even with Spanish included.

Asian Languages

Four languages from Asia are shown above:

Vietnamese (4 states: Washington, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas)
Tagalog/Filipino (3 states: California, Nevada, and Hawaii)
Korean (2 states: Georgia and Virginia)
Arabic (1 state: Michigan)
Hmong (1 state: Minnesota)

Tagalog, the most common Filipino language, is the top non-English and non-Spanish language in the state of Hawaii.

Native American Languages

Three languages that are Native American in origin are commonly used in four U.S. states:

Navajo (2 states: Arizona and New Mexico)
Dakota (1 state: South Dakota)
Yupik (1 state: Alaska)

The Yupik language is the common language spoken in Alaska that isn’t English or Spanish.