Languages Spoken in California
Linguistic diversity, English proficiency, and languages spoken at home across California cities
Language Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCities with Data
50
of top 50 by population
Most Multilingual City
Santa Ana
22.0% English only
Avg. Limited English
17.8%
across reported cities
Across the top 50 cities in California with language data, Santa Ana stands out as the most linguistically diverse, with only 22.0% of residents speaking English exclusively at home. On average, 17.8% of residents across these cities have limited English proficiency, meaning they speak English less than "very well."
Most Multilingual Cities in California
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS| # | City | Population | English Only % | Spanish % | Asian/Pacific % | Limited English % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Ana | 311,639 | 22.0% | 67.1% | 9.7% | 33.3% |
| 2 | Salinas | 161,993 | 28.0% | 67.6% | 3.2% | 33.8% |
| 3 | Garden Grove | 170,603 | 32.1% | 29.0% | 36.8% | 35.2% |
| 4 | Oxnard | 201,014 | 32.4% | 60.5% | 4.8% | 29.6% |
| 5 | Glendale | 192,270 | 34.0% | 13.6% | 9.8% | 31.0% |
| 6 | Fremont | 228,518 | 36.2% | 8.3% | 33.8% | 18.8% |
| 7 | Pomona | 148,391 | 36.3% | 53.1% | 8.7% | 24.8% |
| 8 | Hayward | 159,201 | 39.6% | 32.0% | 19.9% | 26.1% |
| 9 | Anaheim | 344,553 | 39.8% | 41.2% | 12.9% | 24.6% |
| 10 | Sunnyvale | 153,455 | 40.1% | 12.1% | 31.1% | 18.8% |
| 11 | San Jose | 990,054 | 41.4% | 21.9% | 27.3% | 23.9% |
| 12 | Fontana | 211,921 | 42.0% | 49.5% | 5.5% | 18.6% |
| 13 | Los Angeles | 3,857,897 | 43.2% | 39.7% | 8.2% | 25.0% |
| 14 | Chula Vista | 275,030 | 43.5% | 46.1% | 8.9% | 18.3% |
| 15 | Santa Clara | 129,239 | 43.8% | 9.4% | 28.9% | 16.5% |
| 16 | San Bernardino | 221,774 | 45.9% | 49.3% | 3.2% | 18.3% |
| 17 | Ontario | 178,347 | 46.2% | 46.3% | 5.9% | 22.7% |
| 18 | Palmdale | 165,487 | 47.4% | 47.3% | 2.7% | 20.6% |
| 19 | Irvine | 308,160 | 49.6% | 6.6% | 29.1% | 15.9% |
| 20 | Moreno Valley | 210,378 | 51.1% | 43.4% | 3.3% | 17.6% |
| 21 | Riverside | 316,241 | 53.6% | 37.3% | 5.4% | 16.3% |
| 22 | Fullerton | 141,278 | 53.6% | 25.2% | 16.5% | 18.6% |
| 23 | Stockton | 320,470 | 53.7% | 29.6% | 12.7% | 20.1% |
| 24 | Corona | 158,839 | 55.0% | 32.2% | 6.3% | 13.8% |
| 25 | Long Beach | 458,491 | 55.3% | 33.2% | 8.7% | 16.3% |
| 26 | Bakersfield | 408,366 | 56.4% | 35.2% | 4.2% | 13.7% |
| 27 | San Francisco | 836,321 | 56.6% | 11.1% | 24.6% | 18.9% |
| 28 | Escondido | 149,913 | 57.1% | 35.9% | 4.8% | 18.8% |
| 29 | Fresno | 543,615 | 57.1% | 29.5% | 7.7% | 16.0% |
| 30 | Pasadena | 136,462 | 57.4% | 25.2% | 10.9% | 15.5% |
| 31 | Victorville | 135,983 | 57.5% | 37.7% | 3.0% | 14.4% |
| 32 | Torrance | 143,499 | 58.8% | 10.2% | 23.6% | 17.4% |
| 33 | Oakland | 438,072 | 60.1% | 22.4% | 11.2% | 15.5% |
| 34 | Concord | 124,260 | 61.4% | 23.7% | 7.8% | 16.1% |
| 35 | San Diego | 1,385,061 | 61.5% | 21.0% | 11.3% | 13.8% |
| 36 | Vallejo | 124,637 | 61.5% | 19.7% | 16.0% | 15.4% |
| 37 | Orange | 138,723 | 61.9% | 25.7% | 8.8% | 12.8% |
| 38 | Modesto | 218,614 | 62.2% | 27.7% | 3.6% | 13.4% |
| 39 | Sacramento | 524,802 | 64.4% | 16.4% | 11.7% | 14.0% |
| 40 | Santa Clarita | 229,021 | 64.7% | 22.5% | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| 41 | Elk Grove | 177,221 | 65.2% | 7.8% | 17.8% | 13.3% |
| 42 | Rancho Cucamonga | 174,693 | 65.3% | 18.9% | 10.2% | 11.7% |
| 43 | Visalia | 142,649 | 65.4% | 29.1% | 3.6% | 11.6% |
| 44 | Santa Rosa | 177,216 | 65.7% | 26.3% | 4.2% | 15.1% |
| 45 | Oceanside | 172,542 | 66.4% | 25.5% | 5.2% | 13.2% |
| 46 | Lancaster | 170,013 | 66.9% | 28.4% | 2.5% | 12.7% |
| 47 | Simi Valley | 125,769 | 73.7% | 15.8% | 5.3% | 9.1% |
| 48 | Thousand Oaks | 125,676 | 76.2% | 12.3% | 5.3% | 7.6% |
| 49 | Huntington Beach | 196,010 | 76.9% | 9.3% | 8.7% | 7.4% |
| 50 | Roseville | 152,438 | 80.1% | 6.1% | 6.2% | 6.0% |
This table ranks California cities by linguistic diversity, ordered from the lowest percentage of English-only speakers to the highest. Cities at the top have the greatest share of residents who speak a language other than English at home. Spanish is the most common non-English language in most California cities, though Asian and Pacific Island languages are also significant in many communities.