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Population Review

Census ACS 5-Year · 52 states

States With Most Arabic Speakers

Source·US Census ACS 5-Year 2023Updated·Reviewed by·PopulationReview Editorial Team
By PopulationReview Editorial Team
Raw data·Download states.csv· no email required ·all datasets

Arabic-speaking populations in the US are concentrated in Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, and California. Michigan in particular hosts the largest Arabic-speaking community per capita, anchored by Detroit-area Lebanese, Iraqi, Yemeni, and Syrian populations dating to the early 20th century. Arabic is among the fastest-growing non-English languages in the US, reflecting both immigration from Arab states and refugee resettlement.

Key Findings

  • 1Michigan leads with a Arabic-speaking share of 0.75%, followed by New Jersey (0.29%) and New York (0.23%).
  • 2The national median across all states is 0.08% (Maine at the midpoint).
  • 3The top 10 states are: Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio.

Full Ranking: States With Most Arabic Speakers

Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates

#StateArabic %Arabic SpeakersPopulation
1Wyoming--579,761
2Wisconsin3.8%2,0905,892,023
3West Virginia4.3%7301,784,462
4Washington11.8%8,5847,740,984
5Virginia21.2%17,3058,657,499
6Vermont2.7%167645,254
7Utah4.1%1,2563,331,187
8Texas12.5%34,57529,640,343
9Tennessee21.1%13,8676,986,082
10South Dakota--899,194
11South Carolina2.8%1,3965,212,774
12Rhode Island6.8%7041,095,371
13Puerto Rico--3,254,885
14Pennsylvania11.8%14,47212,986,518
15Oregon7.3%2,9234,238,714
16Oklahoma4.1%1,5303,995,260
17Ohio13.3%14,80411,780,046
18North Dakota11.4%832779,361
19North Carolina10.9%10,90710,584,340
20New York23.3%43,78919,872,319
21New Mexico3.4%6722,114,768
22New Jersey29.1%25,4209,267,014
23New Hampshire5.9%7871,387,834
24Nevada8.7%2,5693,141,000
25Nebraska15.2%2,8001,965,926
26Montana1.9%1991,105,072
27Missouri7.6%4,4086,168,181
28Mississippi5.1%1,4022,951,438
29Minnesota9.3%4,9855,713,716
30Michigan74.9%71,18810,051,595
31Massachusetts20.8%13,8406,992,395
32Maryland12.0%6,9546,170,738
33Maine8.3%1,0921,377,400
34Louisiana11.2%4,8694,621,025
35Kentucky9.2%3,8914,510,725
36Kansas7.2%1,9812,937,569
37Iowa13.3%3,9993,195,937
38Indiana8.7%5,5566,811,752
39Illinois18.7%22,38112,692,653
40Idaho7.4%1,3151,893,296
41Hawaii--1,445,635
42Georgia5.1%5,19110,822,590
43Florida9.7%20,22421,928,881
44District of Columbia7.2%453672,079
45Delaware12.3%1,1721,005,872
46Connecticut12.4%4,2533,598,348
47Colorado8.0%4,3745,810,774
48California19.6%72,46639,242,785
49Arkansas1.9%5543,032,651
50Arizona12.2%8,3617,268,175
51Alaska5.9%406733,971
52Alabama3.9%1,8745,054,253

Methodology

Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

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Related Rankings & Top Entities

#1 Michigan

Ranked #1 by Arabic-speaking share

#2 New Jersey

Ranked #2 by Arabic-speaking share

#3 New York

Ranked #3 by Arabic-speaking share

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Frequently Asked Questions

Michigan has the highest Arabic-speaking share at 0.75%, according to latest Census ACS data. New Jersey and New York round out the top three.

Wyoming has the lowest Arabic-speaking share at -. South Dakota is second-lowest at -.

The median across all 52 states is 0.08%. Note that the national median and the state-level median are calculated differently, the state median represents the midpoint when all states are ranked.

This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates published by the US Census Bureau. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides the most comprehensive demographic data available between decennial censuses.

Rankings are based on the latest available Census ACS 5-Year estimates. The Census Bureau releases new ACS data annually. Our data was last updated on April 12, 2026.

Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates

Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.