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Population Review

Census ACS 5-Year · 52 states

States With Most Chinese Speakers at Home

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

Chinese — including Mandarin, Cantonese, Taishanese, and other varieties — is the second-most-spoken non-English language in the US after Spanish. California, New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have the largest Chinese-speaking populations. Chinese-speaking communities are concentrated in major immigration gateways with established Chinatowns and university-driven communities. Chinese-speaking populations shape policy on education (especially STEM), trade with Asia, and small-business support, with significant impact in tech and finance hubs.

Key Findings

  • 1New York leads with a Chinese-speaking share of 1.98%, followed by California (1.80%) and Hawaii (1.49%).
  • 2The national median across all states is 0.17% (Indiana at the midpoint).
  • 3The top 10 states are: New York, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Washington, Nevada, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut.

Full Ranking: States With Most Chinese Speakers at Home

Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates

#StateChinese %Chinese SpeakersPopulation
1Wyoming6.8%373579,761
2Wisconsin14.0%7,8265,892,023
3West Virginia6.4%1,0861,784,462
4Washington81.8%59,7227,740,984
5Virginia30.4%24,8278,657,499
6Vermont7.0%429645,254
7Utah21.2%6,5713,331,187
8Texas30.9%85,67629,640,343
9Tennessee10.4%6,8306,986,082
10South Dakota4.4%366899,194
11South Carolina9.1%4,4735,212,774
12Rhode Island32.1%3,3431,095,371
13Puerto Rico--3,254,885
14Pennsylvania41.5%51,03212,986,518
15Oregon38.0%15,2924,238,714
16Oklahoma13.8%5,1553,995,260
17Ohio19.8%21,95611,780,046
18North Dakota6.7%486779,361
19North Carolina16.4%16,41710,584,340
20New York198.2%372,03719,872,319
21New Mexico9.6%1,9282,114,768
22New Jersey60.3%52,6639,267,014
23New Hampshire17.4%2,3021,387,834
24Nevada65.9%19,5383,141,000
25Nebraska11.8%2,1761,965,926
26Montana7.8%8121,105,072
27Missouri15.5%8,9966,168,181
28Mississippi7.5%2,0772,951,438
29Minnesota16.9%9,0615,713,716
30Michigan21.4%20,31510,051,595
31Massachusetts103.3%68,5976,992,395
32Maryland55.4%32,1716,170,738
33Maine8.4%1,0981,377,400
34Louisiana10.0%4,3204,621,025
35Kentucky7.9%3,3634,510,725
36Kansas19.6%5,4182,937,569
37Iowa13.1%3,9293,195,937
38Indiana17.3%11,0586,811,752
39Illinois45.1%53,99112,692,653
40Idaho7.8%1,3931,893,296
41Hawaii149.3%20,3521,445,635
42Georgia27.2%27,70810,822,590
43Florida19.2%39,95021,928,881
44District of Columbia25.4%1,602672,079
45Delaware31.6%3,0041,005,872
46Connecticut41.8%14,2923,598,348
47Colorado19.0%10,4365,810,774
48California179.9%666,21539,242,785
49Arkansas6.2%1,7753,032,651
50Arizona21.7%14,9007,268,175
51Alaska12.1%828733,971
52Alabama11.3%5,3865,054,253

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 New York

Ranked #1 by Chinese-speaking share

#2 California

Ranked #2 by Chinese-speaking share

#3 Hawaii

Ranked #3 by Chinese-speaking share

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Frequently Asked Questions

New York has the highest Chinese-speaking share at 1.98%, according to latest Census ACS data. California and Hawaii round out the top three.

Puerto Rico has the lowest Chinese-speaking share at -. South Dakota is second-lowest at 0.04%.

The median across all 52 states is 0.17%. 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.