Spanish speakers
by state.
43,369,734 people in the United States speak Spanish at home, 13.7% of everyone aged five and older, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2023. Of them, 17,596,557 told the Census they speak English less than “very well”. The share is highest in California (28.8%), Texas (28.2%) and New Mexico (24.9%); the largest numbers live in California, Texas and Florida. For a business that takes calls, these are the callers an English-only greeting or voicemail may not reach. The table below gives every state, with the Census table linked, so you can check the numbers for where you work.
Updated 25 September 2026The national picture
| People | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone 5 and older | 316,581,199 | 100% |
| Speak only English | 245,472,067 | 77.5% |
| Speak Spanish at home | 43,369,734 | 13.7% |
| Spanish speakers who speak English less than “very well” | 17,596,557 | 40.6% of Spanish speakers |
Every state
Sorted by the share of residents who speak Spanish at home.
| State | Speak Spanish at home | Share of 5+ | English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 10,605,844 | 28.8% | 4,164,726 |
| Texas | 8,067,970 | 28.2% | 3,118,664 |
| New Mexico | 501,315 | 24.9% | 149,590 |
| Florida | 4,856,274 | 22.6% | 2,140,095 |
| Nevada | 622,983 | 20.6% | 252,546 |
| Arizona | 1,354,733 | 19.2% | 440,558 |
| New Jersey | 1,517,618 | 17.3% | 731,151 |
| New York | 2,737,354 | 14.8% | 1,254,577 |
| Rhode Island | 149,465 | 14.3% | 62,401 |
| Illinois | 1,672,496 | 14.1% | 653,931 |
| Connecticut | 447,143 | 13.0% | 181,105 |
| Colorado | 612,262 | 11.0% | 217,304 |
| Utah | 344,305 | 10.8% | 127,131 |
| Maryland | 577,157 | 9.9% | 271,186 |
| Massachusetts | 642,952 | 9.7% | 277,877 |
| Oregon | 377,317 | 9.4% | 146,079 |
| Washington | 684,332 | 9.3% | 263,387 |
| District of Columbia | 56,833 | 8.9% | 19,306 |
| North Carolina | 895,610 | 8.7% | 378,261 |
| Georgia | 898,151 | 8.6% | 382,447 |
| Nebraska | 157,012 | 8.5% | 66,332 |
| Delaware | 81,938 | 8.4% | 39,824 |
| Kansas | 226,371 | 8.2% | 91,369 |
| Virginia | 666,376 | 8.1% | 269,562 |
| Oklahoma | 304,687 | 8.0% | 117,145 |
| Idaho | 146,631 | 7.9% | 48,353 |
| Arkansas | 172,255 | 6.0% | 73,524 |
| Pennsylvania | 727,506 | 5.9% | 311,722 |
| Indiana | 352,091 | 5.4% | 153,358 |
| South Carolina | 270,263 | 5.3% | 119,375 |
| Tennessee | 358,760 | 5.3% | 170,809 |
| Wyoming | 28,097 | 5.1% | 10,839 |
| Wisconsin | 281,262 | 5.0% | 108,388 |
| Iowa | 144,254 | 4.8% | 64,797 |
| Louisiana | 205,600 | 4.8% | 98,947 |
| Minnesota | 235,909 | 4.4% | 89,034 |
| Alabama | 183,368 | 3.8% | 78,034 |
| Alaska | 24,547 | 3.6% | 6,714 |
| Kentucky | 148,989 | 3.5% | 66,876 |
| Michigan | 312,829 | 3.3% | 108,031 |
| Missouri | 172,159 | 2.9% | 63,594 |
| South Dakota | 25,380 | 2.9% | 11,110 |
| Ohio | 307,693 | 2.8% | 121,791 |
| Mississippi | 72,862 | 2.6% | 32,172 |
| New Hampshire | 35,435 | 2.6% | 11,912 |
| Hawaii | 30,259 | 2.2% | 8,945 |
| North Dakota | 16,281 | 2.2% | 4,647 |
| Montana | 18,493 | 1.7% | 5,365 |
| Vermont | 8,956 | 1.4% | 1,363 |
| West Virginia | 19,973 | 1.2% | 6,881 |
| Maine | 11,384 | 0.9% | 3,422 |
Who works in the trades
In the BLS Current Population Survey for 2025, 64.7% of roofers, 55.2% of construction laborers and 58.2% of painters are Hispanic or Latino, against 20.0% of all workers and 23.9% of receptionists. Ethnicity is not language, so these figures do not say who speaks Spanish.
What to do with it
Our reading: if a fifth of the people in your area speak Spanish at home, a Spanish greeting and a Spanish-speaking answer on the first ring are not a courtesy, they are part of answering the phone. A bilingual AI receptionist switches when the caller does; a live service may charge extra per call for Spanish.
How Voxgard handles it: bilingual AI receptionist, and for more languages, multilingual AI receptionist.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023 1-year, table C16001
- Census API query, national
- Census API query, by state
- BLS Current Population Survey 2025, table 11
Written by Voxgard, which makes an AI receptionist. The figures describe the market, not Voxgard’s results. Found an error? info@voxgard.com
Questions.
43,369,734 people aged five and older speak Spanish at home, 13.7% of that population (Census ACS 2023).
California has the most, 10,605,844 people. By share, California leads at 28.8%.
Check your state in the table. Where the share is high, more of your callers may prefer Spanish. Voxgard answers in Spanish and switches mid-call at no extra charge.
Try it on
your own calls.
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