Census ACS 5-Year · 52 states
States Where English-Only is Most Common
States where English is most overwhelmingly the only language spoken at home are concentrated in Appalachia, the Midwest, and the rural Mountain West. West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and Maine often top the list with over 95% English-only households. These states have smaller foreign-born populations and more linguistically homogeneous communities. Conversely, the most linguistically diverse states (CA, TX, NY, NJ, FL) often have over 40% of residents speaking a non-English language at home.
Key Findings
- 1West Virginia leads with a English-only share of 97.48%, followed by Montana (95.84%) and Mississippi (95.80%).
- 2The national median across all states is 87.70% (Nebraska at the midpoint).
- 3The top 10 states are: West Virginia, Montana, Mississippi, Vermont, Alabama, Maine, North Dakota, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota.
Full Ranking: States Where English-Only is Most Common
Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates
| # | State | English-Only % | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 9318.5% | 579,761 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 9116.8% | 5,892,023 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 9748.3% | 1,784,462 |
| 4 | Washington | 7900.5% | 7,740,984 |
| 5 | Virginia | 8282.8% | 8,657,499 |
| 6 | Vermont | 9450.4% | 645,254 |
| 7 | Utah | 8433.2% | 3,331,187 |
| 8 | Texas | 6514.0% | 29,640,343 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 9168.3% | 6,986,082 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 9332.7% | 899,194 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 9183.4% | 5,212,774 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 7730.9% | 1,095,371 |
| 13 | Puerto Rico | - | 3,254,885 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 8795.2% | 12,986,518 |
| 15 | Oregon | 8486.7% | 4,238,714 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 8872.7% | 3,995,260 |
| 17 | Ohio | 9226.0% | 11,780,046 |
| 18 | North Dakota | 9364.3% | 779,361 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 8698.0% | 10,584,340 |
| 20 | New York | 6935.5% | 19,872,319 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 6838.0% | 2,114,768 |
| 22 | New Jersey | 6733.5% | 9,267,014 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 9195.5% | 1,387,834 |
| 24 | Nevada | 7071.2% | 3,141,000 |
| 25 | Nebraska | 8770.0% | 1,965,926 |
| 26 | Montana | 9584.3% | 1,105,072 |
| 27 | Missouri | 9344.0% | 6,168,181 |
| 28 | Mississippi | 9579.9% | 2,951,438 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 8775.6% | 5,713,716 |
| 30 | Michigan | 8984.9% | 10,051,595 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | 7524.0% | 6,992,395 |
| 32 | Maryland | 7938.1% | 6,170,738 |
| 33 | Maine | 9403.0% | 1,377,400 |
| 34 | Louisiana | 9168.0% | 4,621,025 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 9355.4% | 4,510,725 |
| 36 | Kansas | 8791.8% | 2,937,569 |
| 37 | Iowa | 9108.2% | 3,195,937 |
| 38 | Indiana | 9015.9% | 6,811,752 |
| 39 | Illinois | 7619.8% | 12,692,653 |
| 40 | Idaho | 8928.2% | 1,893,296 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 7489.1% | 1,445,635 |
| 42 | Georgia | 8495.1% | 10,822,590 |
| 43 | Florida | 6989.7% | 21,928,881 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | 8201.2% | 672,079 |
| 45 | Delaware | 8524.2% | 1,005,872 |
| 46 | Connecticut | 7698.8% | 3,598,348 |
| 47 | Colorado | 8386.6% | 5,810,774 |
| 48 | California | 5593.9% | 39,242,785 |
| 49 | Arkansas | 9191.2% | 3,032,651 |
| 50 | Arizona | 7431.5% | 7,268,175 |
| 51 | Alaska | 8437.9% | 733,971 |
| 52 | Alabama | 9412.8% | 5,054,253 |
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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Frequently Asked Questions
West Virginia has the highest English-only share at 97.48%, according to latest Census ACS data. Montana and Mississippi round out the top three.
Puerto Rico has the lowest English-only share at -. California is second-lowest at 55.94%.
The median across all 52 states is 87.70%. 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.
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.