Introduction: Foreign Language Market Opportunities Within the United States
The United States represents a significant and growing market opportunity for foreign language engagement and translation services, particularly for organizations operating at a national scale.
As language diversity continues to expand across states, the ability to communicate clearly with non-English speaking and limited English-proficient populations is important for customer understanding, trust and engagement.
Regarding topics such as financial services, insurance, employee benefits, etc. language clarity is fundamental for informed decision-making. Even when individuals have learned English to a high level, complex concepts such as policy terms, retirement options, risk disclosures and benefits enrollment can be difficult to fully grasp in a second language.
While decisions around language support are, of course, a matter for each organization to determine, it is worth considering how multilingual communications can support clearer understanding.
In 2024, an estimated 45 million people in the U.S. spoke Spanish at home, making Spanish by far the most widely spoken non-English language in the country. By comparison, the second most spoken non-English language, Chinese, was spoken by approximately 3.7 million people (Statista, 2024).
This highlights both the growth of language demand and the opportunity to support additional high-impact language groups through targeted translation and localization strategies.
This research will explore language and demographic trends, industry benchmarks on multilingual engagement, language prevalence by region, and accessibility and extended communication needs.
Language and Demographic Trends
According to recent data (Census Bureau’s American Community Survey ), more than 1 in 5 people (22%) aged five and older speak a language other than English at home during the survey period 2017–2021, representing tens of millions of residents across the States.
The top languages most frequently spoken at home among individuals aged five and older in the United States (Migration Policy Institute, 2025):
- Spanish – approximately 43 million speakers
- Chinese – approximately 3.5 million speakers
- Tagalog – approximately 1.8 million speakers
- Vietnamese – approximately 1.6 million speakers
Reliable data on the number of speakers by language in the United States can be difficult to obtain, particularly when accounting for bilingualism, varying proficiency levels, and regional differences.
Where possible, we have used the most recent and credible sources available, with the data reflecting 2025 estimates. While no single dataset can capture the full complexity of language use across the U.S., these figures provide a useful benchmark for understanding relative language prevalence and emerging trends.
In addition to Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, other widely spoken languages in U.S. households include Arabic, French, Korean, Russian, German, and Portuguese.
The Fastest Growing Languages in the United States
In addition to well-established language groups, several non-English languages have experienced notable growth in recent years, confirming evolving communication needs across U.S. markets.
Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau between 2018 and 2023, shows that the following languages are growing the most:
Spanish continues to expand at scale, with most of the U.S. Hispanic population living in California, Texas, and Florida.
However, other languages, while smaller in total population, are also increasingly growing.
Previous research tells us that Portuguese has increased by approximately 275,000 speakers, while in 2023, Arabic exceeded 1.4 million speakers in the US, growing by around 165,000 speakers in recent years (Pew Research Center, 2023).
Ukrainian has also risen significantly, reaching an estimated 485,000 speakers in 2023.
Telugu (spoken in parts of South India) has been identified as one of the fastest-growing languages, with significant increases in U.S. speakers tied to migration linked to the tech and engineering sectors. Other languages showing rapid growth include Bengali and Tamil, which have also seen notable increases in use at home.
Industry Benchmarks on Multilingual Engagement
Estimated research (census.gov,2023) indicates that over 17 million Spanish speakers in the United States speak English less than “very well.” For these individuals, complex subject matters such as insurance, retirement planning and employee benefits, for example, can be difficult to fully understand without professionally translated materials.
Products in these categories often involve long-term financial commitments, regulatory language and coverage details that directly affect individuals and families.
When critical information is not clearly understood, consumers may hesitate to enroll or misinterpret benefits. Therefore, providing materials in a customer’s native language helps reduce uncertainty in this respect.
Data and industry experience consistently show that consumers are more likely to engage with, trust and act on information presented in the language they are most comfortable reading.
Research shows that 76% of people prefer purchasing products with information in their native language. Additionally, 40% will never buy from websites in other languages (CSA Research, 2020).
For many organizations, operating across the United States, translated materials can play a key role in improving response rates, increasing enrolment, reducing confusion and supporting more informed decision making across diverse markets.
Ultimately, multilingual communication is both an accessibility consideration and a practical strategy for ensuring that policyholders fully understand what they are signing up for and feel confident in their financial choices.
Language Prevalence by Region
Language needs vary widely by state and region across the United States.
Nationally, more than 8% of the U.S. population have what might be called Limited English Proficiency (LEP).
While it’s clear that Spanish is the most prevalent non-English language in every major market, state-level data shows that many regions support multiple high-volume LEP language groups, creating clear opportunities for targeted multilingual communication.
The state-level language data referenced in this section is drawn from U.S. Census and CMS Limited English Proficiency (LEP) datasets and represents a sample rather than an exhaustive count.
Even so, the volumes and patterns observed clearly demonstrate the scale of LEP populations and the ongoing need for regionally informed multilingual communication.
The top languages spoken by Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations in U.S. regions, along with the number of speakers are as follow:
Texas
Starting off with Omni Intercommunications’ home state, Texas.
Texas is home to nearly 3 million Spanish-speaking LEP residents, which is one of the largest totals in the nation. In addition, populations speaking Vietnamese (115,640), Chinese (71,139), Korean (30,852), Arabic (22,002), Urdu (18,041), Tagalog (17,982) and Hindi (12,656).
(Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations)
Western and Southwestern States
California represents the largest and most linguistically diverse LEP population in the country.
The state has approximately 4.49 million Spanish-speaking LEP residents, alongside populations speaking Chinese (610,934), Vietnamese (316,886), Tagalog (260,443) and Korean (218,938).
In addition, languages such as Armenian, Persian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic each exceed 60,000 LEP speakers.
In Arizona, Spanish leads with 457,022 LEP speakers, but the state also has populations speaking Navajo (20,627), as well as Chinese (14,028) and Vietnamese (12,996).
Washington shows a similarly diverse profile, with 232,748 Spanish-speaking LEP residents, alongside large populations speaking Chinese (42,812), Vietnamese (38,432), Korean (27,088), Russian (25,421) and Tagalog (19,128).
(Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations)
Southern and South-eastern States
Florida has more than 1.64 million Spanish-speaking LEP residents, as well as LEP populations speaking French Creole (172,555) Vietnamese (35,602), Portuguese (33,193) and French (29,811).
In Georgia, there are approximately 342,161 Spanish-speaking LEP residents, alongside growing communities speaking Vietnamese (26,867) and Korean (25,239. Languages such as Gujarati, Hindi, Amharic and French Creole each exceed 5,000 LEP speakers.
North Carolina follows a similar pattern, with 329,155 Spanish-speaking LEP residents, and Chinese (14,502), Vietnamese (14,257), Korean (7,473) and French (6,338) speakers.
(Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations)
Midwest and Northeast
In the Midwest, Illinois has nearly 695,000 Spanish-speaking LEP residents, but also one of the largest Polish-speaking LEP populations in the country (90,066).
Finally, in Massachusetts, Spanish-speaking LEP residents total 219,004, alongside large populations speaking Portuguese (81,920), Chinese (59,573), French Creole (30,607) and Vietnamese (24,785).
(Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations)
Accessibility and Extended Communication Needs
While this report focuses on multilingual content, we thought it was worth quickly noting the importance of broader accessibility requirements, such as ADA-compliant formats, audio description, voice overs, alternative text format, and accessible document design.
Significant segments of the U.S. population use these formats due to visual, auditory or cognitive learning needs.
For example, according to the 2023 ACS, there were approximately 8.7 million individuals living in the U.S. with vision difficulty (American Foundation for the Blind).
Therefore, providing materials in both multiple languages and accessible formats decision-making tools, reduces barriers to product understanding, and demonstrates a commitment to inclusive customer service.
If any accessibility needs arise, we’d be happy to support here too across voice overs, desktop publishing, subtitles, accessible documents, and other solutions.