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Third Most Common Language by U.S. State

For each state, name the language most commonly spoken at home which is not either English or Spanish.
Source: U.S. Census, 2021 data
In some rare cases this is actually the second most-common language. These are marked in gold.
Quiz by slkrr9
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: March 11, 2023
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First submittedMay 15, 2014
Times taken96,765
Average score66.7%
Rating4.91
Quiz and answer stats >>
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State
Language
Alabama
Korean
Alaska
Tagalog
Arizona
Navajo
Arkansas
Hawaiian / Samoan
California
Chinese
Colorado
Chinese
Connecticut
Portuguese
Delaware
Chinese
Florida
Haitian
Georgia
Vietnamese
Hawaii
Hawaiian / Samoan
Idaho
Chinese
Illinois
Polish
Indiana
Pennsylvania Dutch
Iowa
Arabic
Kansas
Vietnamese
Kentucky
German
State
Language
Louisiana
French
Maine
French
Maryland
Chinese
Massachusetts
Portuguese
Michigan
Arabic
Minnesota
Somali / Amharic
Mississippi
Vietnamese
Missouri
Chinese
Montana
German
Nebraska
Vietnamese
Nevada
Tagalog
New Hampshire
French
New Jersey
Chinese
New Mexico
Navajo
New York
Chinese
North Carolina
Chinese
North Dakota
German
State
Language
Ohio
Pennsylvania Dutch
Oklahoma
Vietnamese
Oregon
Chinese
Pennsylvania
Chinese
Rhode Island
Portuguese
South Carolina
German
South Dakota
German
Tennessee
Arabic
Texas
Vietnamese
Utah
Chinese
Vermont
French
Virginia
Chinese
Washington
Chinese
West Virginia
Arabic
Wisconsin
Hmong
Wyoming
German
YLO7
+4
Level 57
May 15, 2014
Pretty easy since I just had friend share post about this.
slkrr9
+6
Level 33
May 15, 2014
Yeah, there's a map circulating the internet now... thought it made for an interesting quiz.
kalbahamut
+4
Level 82
May 23, 2014
I saw that map, too. Cool quiz.
aasl25
+1
Level 57
May 24, 2014
The pic is from Slate magazine. It was featured on CNN :)
bluesdjben
+3
Level 74
May 23, 2014
Cool quiz idea.
kittykris
+2
Level 48
May 23, 2014
I would have never expected German for so many states & would have guessed

Chinese for a few more...

Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Mar 11, 2023
Nine years later and the data have caught up! With this update, Chinese has replaced German for many states.
ericsp23
+6
Level 95
May 23, 2014
I didn't think Chinese was an actual language. The people of China mostly speak Mandarin or Cantonese
TurkeyCookTime
+6
Level 76
Mar 9, 2020
Which are dialects of Chinese
flzubuduuz
+11
Level 68
May 1, 2020
Depends on who you ask, really. Some linguists (I'd dare say most, but I'm not so sure on this) qualify variants of Chinese as separate languages belonging to the same family (like the Romance languages), while others qualify them as dialects of a same language (like what happens with Arabic).
kujxn
+7
Level 83
Dec 26, 2020
The varieties of Chinese are not mutually intelligible with each other. I’m a native speaker of one variety and I couldn’t understand the other varieties at all unless I learnt them or have exposure with them. Although some varieties are closer to each other than they are to others, the similarities only get you so far and aren’t enough to get by.
mikkk
+8
Level 56
Dec 21, 2021
There are no serious linguists who consider them dialects. They are separate (but related) languages who use the same writing system
shinwasha
+4
Level 28
May 24, 2014
Surprised at the Korean being in that state.
kalbahamut
+6
Level 82
May 25, 2014
Having lived in Virginia for most of my life I'm not surprised by that at all. Visit Arlington, Annandale, or Centreville (my hometown) and you'll see.
gordian12
+1
Level 35
May 27, 2014
But... whyyyy...
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Jul 10, 2015
Bulgogi?
PigLatin
+1
Level 28
May 1, 2017
I live in Virginia and one of my best friends is Korean and speaks it fluently.
kalbahamut
+6
Level 82
Jul 7, 2020
Do you converse in English, Korean, or Pig Latin?
TCubes
+1
Level 29
Apr 30, 2023
igpay tinlaay (sorry for my bad pig latin)
jsmith182
+2
Level 48
May 26, 2014
I should've gotten Vietnamese. I didn't get that, navajo, hmong, dakota or yupik
bomber184
+3
Level 20
Jan 17, 2015
Barely beat the average. Got 10 and the average is 9. I beat 71.9% of the test takers. :) Finally made a goal in my life. Nice quiz.
punkybrewster
+2
Level 80
Jul 10, 2015
Very surprised that Italian isn't the answer for Rhode Island!
IsleAuHaulte
+4
Level 89
Dec 3, 2020
Providence was infamous for its mafia strength, but there was and still is a massive influx of people from Portuguese speaking countries into southeastern New England. Initially fisherman were picked up in the Azores and Madeiras. Natives of those islands have been reliable and prolific fishing hands and captains in Gloucester, New Bedford and Point Judith for the past 200 years. The area's the logical choice for other Lusophones coming to the U.S.
Parinter
+6
Level 43
Jul 26, 2016
surprised Spanish isn't on the list !
Malbaby
+14
Level 71
Aug 28, 2016
I'd be surprised if it was .......... NOTE: Enter the language most commonly used at home that is NOT English or Spanish:
Sifhraven
+3
Level 67
Jul 21, 2019
surprised you missed the joke/sarcasm there
Jayjaysciz
+1
Level 55
Apr 30, 2017
Surprised that French is third most popular in Maryland. I've never met a native French speaker here. I thought Greek or Italian since there are large large parts of the city where some nationalities exclusively live. Or ever German, polish, or Korean. But never French.... oh well u live and you learn :)
manOFsteel
+3
Level 44
Apr 30, 2017
Surprised none of these answers are Dutch
divantilya
+1
Level 37
May 26, 2017
So am I. I know pockets of Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia and Maryland where Dutch is still spoken. But,

more importantly, I disagree with the third language chosen for

New York. The third most spoken language in New York is Italian, not Chinese.

GeographyGeek42
+8
Level 66
Apr 14, 2018
The reason for this is because here in the USA, the people in Pennsylvania we call "Dutch" is actually German, not Dutch.
hpfan4000
+2
Level 58
Jul 31, 2018
what do you mean? according to wikipedia (which sources their data from a page on the MLA website that isn't working, but still), Chinese is spoken by 2.61% of New Yorkers. Granted, that includes both Yue and Mandarin, but it's still a lot more than Italian, which is 4th behind Russian.
Cooldrive
+1
Level 63
Jun 26, 2017
I got 10/16. That's OK, but where's this map my brothers and sisters are talking about?
akwildrose
+4
Level 51
Sep 28, 2017
Proud of myself for knowing the lowest answer that only 3% have gotten. But I do live in Alaska....
stankyC
+2
Level 65
Mar 8, 2018
Can you add any info on the District of Columbia? It would be interesting to see. I am pretty confident that the 3rd most common language would be Amharic there (Ethiopian).
Azuca
+1
Level 64
Aug 3, 2019
On this note it'd be pretty neat to see the languages of all the territories too
wkrpnyc
+1
Level 81
Feb 10, 2020
Somewhere I heard or read that this is true. I lived there in the mid-90s, and it was very, very common then. Now, I imagine most people who speak it have moved to NoVa or Md.
iiMystiqo
+1
Level 34
Apr 14, 2018
french creole sounds like a french snack XD
JackintheBox
+3
Level 79
Feb 19, 2019
Is there a possibility that 'Eskimo', be accepted for Alaska? Eskimo-Aleut is a family of languages comprising Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut.
Philip09
+2
Level 61
May 14, 2023
I believe that is a slur.
GeoDude
+1
Level 48
Apr 11, 2019
Should have got Vietnamese. I just put Portugese as a joke, surprised it was an answer.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Nov 5, 2019
In Massachusetts there are a lot of Brazilians there. Not sure about Rhode Island but might be the same.
wkrpnyc
+2
Level 81
Feb 10, 2020
Lots of Portuguese immigrants in New England. I took it in high school in CT where it was offered as a heritage language.
kiwikiwiNZ
+3
Level 40
Oct 27, 2019
wasnt expecting arabic to be the one for michigan but ok
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Nov 5, 2019
Tons of Arabic speakers around Detroit.
jennraven
+2
Level 68
Nov 5, 2019
Didn't even think to try native languages 🤦
CanadaMonarchist
+1
Level 73
Dec 10, 2019
Turns out the Russians didn't hack the election, they were too busy hacking Oregon.

Like did I miss something?

Xenobiologista
+1
Level 59
Jul 7, 2020
The russians have history in Oregon. In fact, from Alaska down to California they settled small areas. They were mostly in Alaska, though.
NV1
+1
Level 51
Jan 15, 2020
Got all of them right!😁
marez
+2
Level 62
Mar 22, 2020
I wonder how many of the people claiming to speak Spanish, German and French only know a couple of words, just like Buttigieg.
thisisnotanaccount1234567
+5
Level 46
Sep 20, 2020
Most of them are probably natives.
Quizmaster
+8
Level ∞
Mar 11, 2023
This is based on language spoken at home.
Philip09
+1
Level 61
Mar 28, 2020
Here's a map:

https://postmediavancouversun2.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/slate-language-map.jpg?w=450&quality=55&strip=all

JackClarke25
+2
Level 53
Jul 1, 2020
Of course it's Arabic in Michigan
Xenobiologista
+1
Level 59
Jul 7, 2020
Didnt remember Navajo. Dang it.
NV1
+1
Level 51
Jul 9, 2020
Only 4% guessed Yupik.
blizzrd33
+1
Level 79
Jan 13, 2022
I tried Aleut, Inuit, Eskimo but not that, so yeah.
JWatson24
+1
Level 71
Dec 26, 2020
Are you sure this is up-to-date? This article tells a different story: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-the-most-common-language-in-every-state-map-2019-6

I know this may not be as good a source as the American Community Survey, but it seems to make sense given demographic changes. As a Pennsylvanian, I can definitely attest that I know way more people who speak Chinese at home than Italian.

Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Mar 11, 2023
It is now up to date.
DrLlamaLlama
+2
Level 46
Feb 5, 2021
I guess i'm in the minority of not knowing that portuguese is a thing in the northeast. but jokes on them, I got dakota, navajo, hmong and creole right!
thailand
+3
Level 40
Apr 7, 2021
no japanese?
kalbahamut
+3
Level 82
Apr 29, 2021
Japanese are a comparatively small minority population everywhere in the United States outside of Hawaii and some places on the West coast, and in those places they are still outnumbered by other immigrant groups.
thailand
+1
Level 40
Jul 28, 2021
Makes sense
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Mar 11, 2023
Very few Japanese emigrate. Why move to an inferior country? (I ask, only half in jest)
Masline
+3
Level 55
Apr 29, 2021
I wasn't going to get Hmong until I had 15 seconds left and tried to go for Mongolian and got it when I typed "Mong"
Dollyfroggy
+1
Level 60
Nov 13, 2021
Came to comment this lol
DolphinSus
+1
Level 28
Jun 15, 2021
I did not know that the 3rd most common language in my state was Arabic! Not expecting that
Dollyfroggy
+1
Level 60
Nov 13, 2021
I was trying to write Haitian Creole and got French Creole instead. Not complaining but quite unexpected.
TomatosRaafatos
+1
Level 73
Mar 13, 2023
I didn't even bother with Haiti because I thought they spoke French there, so I just typed French. Now I know...
FatSpartanJediLlama
+1
Level 67
Jan 31, 2022
At first I thought it was too easy because it wasn't yellow box but it was harder than I expected, missed the bottom 5
Quizerboi
+1
Level 20
Jan 31, 2023
10/16
TheLonelyAlula
+7
Level 50
Mar 12, 2023
A bit annoying that Pennsylvania Dutch is considered a separate language from German but all Chinese languages are considered the same.
toowise
+1
Level 78
Mar 12, 2023
And that Dutch isn't accepted, how much different are Pennsylvania Dutch and "normal" Dutch ? I honestly don't know.
cmountenay
+7
Level 86
Mar 12, 2023
Pennsylvania Dutch is nothing like Dutch. It's a dialect of German, which branched off of Rhenish-Franconian, which is spoken in West Central Germany.
Djilas
+1
Level 82
Mar 12, 2023
Not sure they're considered the same, "Chinese" here probably means Mandarin, not that they included Cantonese.
cmountenay
+3
Level 86
Mar 12, 2023
As someone of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, I want to point out that Pennsylvania Dutch is a dialect of German, so should be accepted when you enter "German."
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Mar 12, 2023
Sorry, German was supposed to work. It will now.
haha555
+1
Level 72
Mar 13, 2023
why arkansas is hawaiian/samoan? Isn't it marshallese, which is distinct from those other two
Seh2022
+1
Level 58
Mar 13, 2023
Is the Hawaiʻi language really true? Not many people speak it..
guiztar73
+1
Level 73
Mar 14, 2023
What the h, Wisconsin?
elliot4sisu
+1
Level 45
Mar 25, 2023
Frustrating that Somali and Amharic are counted as the same. They are very different languages.
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Mar 25, 2023
I feel your pain. I have no idea why the government would collect data this way.
goofycritter
+1
Level 29
Mar 29, 2023
why are maine vermont and hawaii highlited
DrWhoFanJ
+2
Level 62
Mar 29, 2023
From the caveats section at the top of this very page:

“In some rare cases this is actually the second most-common language. These are marked in gold.”

JWatson24
+3
Level 71
Mar 29, 2023
Wow, Arkansas is the last place I expected to have a large Hawaiian/Samoan population!
InterAlia
+7
Level 75
Mar 29, 2023
....

926. Burkina Faso

927. North Korea

928. Antarctica

929. Arkansas

the end

PapaFurchetta
+1
Level 91
Feb 24, 2024
...

922. Svalbard

923. My living room

924. Fargo, North Dakota

925. The Moon

...

DawnX
+1
Level 49
Apr 1, 2023
how is tagalog more spoken in alaska than alaska's native american languages are
buck1017
+1
Level 77
Apr 6, 2023
I had no idea that Somalian was its own language. I knew of the large Somali population in Minnesota, but i thought they spoke either Arabic or Swahili. Dang it.
DvdGeo
+2
Level 47
May 24, 2023
I expected Italian in on of the north eastern states
Nevson64
+1
Level 50
Nov 23, 2023
Click on my name an check out my dictator quiz. Harder than you think.
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