how much of america speaks spanish
About 13–15% of the U.S. population speaks Spanish today, which comes out to roughly 42–45 million people, and closer to 55–60 million if you include bilingual and second‑language speakers.
How much of America speaks Spanish?
- Around 12–14% of U.S. residents speak Spanish at home, based on recent American Community Survey estimates.
- That’s about 42–43 million people speaking Spanish at home, plus millions more who use it as a second language.
- Broader estimates that include heritage and second‑language speakers reach around 59 million , or roughly 18% of the population.
So if you imagine a crowded stadium in the U.S., somewhere between one in seven and one in six people there could speak Spanish.
How this has changed over time
- In 1980, about 5% of the U.S. population were native Spanish speakers.
- By 2000, that share was roughly 10%.
- By 2015, it had grown to more than 13% , and it has kept edging upward since.
This long, steady rise is why the U.S. is now often described as one of the world’s largest Spanish‑speaking countries.
Where Spanish is most common
Spanish use isn’t evenly spread; some states feel almost bilingual in everyday life.
| State | Approx. share speaking Spanish |
|---|---|
| California | About 26% of residents. | [1]
| Texas | About 24% of residents. | [1]
| New Mexico | About 23% of residents. | [1]
| Florida | About 19% of residents. | [1]
Global and future context
- The U.S. has one of the largest Spanish‑speaking populations in the world , behind Mexico and comparable to or above Spain depending on how you count.
- Demographers expect the Hispanic share of the U.S. population to keep growing, which means Spanish will likely become even more widespread by mid‑century.
If current trends continue, Spanish will remain a core part of everyday life in the U.S.—in homes, schools, business, media, and politics.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
