Census ACS 5-Year · 51 states
States With Most Vietnamese Speakers
Vietnamese-American communities have grown rapidly since the resettlement waves following the Vietnam War. California, Texas, and Washington host the largest Vietnamese-speaking populations. Concentrations in Orange County (CA) and Houston (TX) form distinctive Vietnamese-American communities with their own media, cuisine, and cultural institutions. Vietnamese is now the fourth-most-spoken non-English language in the US.
Key Findings
- 1California leads with a Vietnamese-speaking share of 0.90%, followed by Washington (0.55%) and Texas (0.49%).
- 2The national median across all states is 0.12% (New Jersey at the midpoint).
- 3The top 10 states are: California, Washington, Texas, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oregon, Georgia, Virginia, Kansas, Louisiana.
Full Ranking: States With Most Vietnamese Speakers
Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates
| # | State | Vietnamese % | Vietnamese Speakers | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 5.1% | 280 | 579,761 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 3.7% | 2,086 | 5,892,023 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 2.9% | 488 | 1,784,462 |
| 4 | Washington | 54.6% | 39,857 | 7,740,984 |
| 5 | Virginia | 34.9% | 28,462 | 8,657,499 |
| 6 | Vermont | 4.9% | 302 | 645,254 |
| 7 | Utah | 14.6% | 4,504 | 3,331,187 |
| 8 | Texas | 48.8% | 135,333 | 29,640,343 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 8.2% | 5,395 | 6,986,082 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 7.4% | 623 | 899,194 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 7.9% | 3,901 | 5,212,774 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | - | - | 1,095,371 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 16.7% | 20,590 | 12,986,518 |
| 14 | Oregon | 36.0% | 14,496 | 4,238,714 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 26.9% | 10,089 | 3,995,260 |
| 16 | Ohio | 5.9% | 6,597 | 11,780,046 |
| 17 | North Dakota | 4.6% | 337 | 779,361 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 15.6% | 15,622 | 10,584,340 |
| 19 | New York | - | - | 19,872,319 |
| 20 | New Mexico | 13.8% | 2,761 | 2,114,768 |
| 21 | New Jersey | 11.5% | 10,075 | 9,267,014 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | 7.3% | 971 | 1,387,834 |
| 23 | Nevada | 19.4% | 5,743 | 3,141,000 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 23.0% | 4,228 | 1,965,926 |
| 25 | Montana | 1.6% | 172 | 1,105,072 |
| 26 | Missouri | 12.1% | 7,017 | 6,168,181 |
| 27 | Mississippi | 9.9% | 2,734 | 2,951,438 |
| 28 | Minnesota | 24.0% | 12,883 | 5,713,716 |
| 29 | Michigan | 9.0% | 8,505 | 10,051,595 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | 38.3% | 25,471 | 6,992,395 |
| 31 | Maryland | 18.5% | 10,734 | 6,170,738 |
| 32 | Maine | 6.4% | 847 | 1,377,400 |
| 33 | Louisiana | 27.3% | 11,813 | 4,621,025 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 5.7% | 2,416 | 4,510,725 |
| 35 | Kansas | 30.0% | 8,273 | 2,937,569 |
| 36 | Iowa | 18.4% | 5,538 | 3,195,937 |
| 37 | Indiana | 6.9% | 4,407 | 6,811,752 |
| 38 | Illinois | 9.9% | 11,879 | 12,692,653 |
| 39 | Idaho | 3.5% | 624 | 1,893,296 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 46.5% | 6,336 | 1,445,635 |
| 41 | Georgia | 35.9% | 36,566 | 10,822,590 |
| 42 | Florida | 19.0% | 39,583 | 21,928,881 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | 7.5% | 476 | 672,079 |
| 44 | Delaware | 9.0% | 855 | 1,005,872 |
| 45 | Connecticut | 12.2% | 4,161 | 3,598,348 |
| 46 | Colorado | 20.9% | 11,503 | 5,810,774 |
| 47 | California | 89.7% | 332,237 | 39,242,785 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 10.1% | 2,888 | 3,032,651 |
| 49 | Arizona | 17.5% | 12,014 | 7,268,175 |
| 50 | Alaska | 5.0% | 340 | 733,971 |
| 51 | Alabama | 8.6% | 4,071 | 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
California has the highest Vietnamese-speaking share at 0.90%, according to latest Census ACS data. Washington and Texas round out the top three.
Rhode Island has the lowest Vietnamese-speaking share at -. New York is second-lowest at -.
The median across all 51 states is 0.12%. 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.