Languages Spoken in Pennsylvania
Linguistic diversity, English proficiency, and languages spoken at home across Pennsylvania cities
Language Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCities with Data
50
of top 50 by population
Most Multilingual City
Hazleton
40.6% English only
Avg. Limited English
7.2%
across reported cities
Across the top 50 cities in Pennsylvania with language data, Hazleton stands out as the most linguistically diverse, with only 40.6% of residents speaking English exclusively at home. On average, 7.2% of residents across these cities have limited English proficiency, meaning they speak English less than "very well."
Most Multilingual Cities in Pennsylvania
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS| # | City | Population | English Only % | Spanish % | Asian/Pacific % | Limited English % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hazleton | 29,886 | 40.6% | 56.8% | 0.1% | 32.4% |
| 2 | Reading | 94,836 | 45.1% | 53.0% | 0.3% | 25.9% |
| 3 | Allentown | 125,320 | 54.2% | 40.4% | 1.4% | 27.1% |
| 4 | Fullerton | 16,729 | 63.5% | 19.8% | 1.7% | 16.4% |
| 5 | Lancaster | 57,683 | 65.2% | 28.8% | 2.2% | 16.7% |
| 6 | Lebanon | 26,600 | 69.0% | 29.6% | 0.1% | 13.6% |
| 7 | Norristown | 35,782 | 69.0% | 25.2% | 1.8% | 14.8% |
| 8 | York | 44,830 | 71.5% | 25.7% | 0.9% | 13.3% |
| 9 | Wilkes-Barre | 44,217 | 74.4% | 22.1% | 1.4% | 12.6% |
| 10 | Bethlehem | 77,069 | 74.9% | 19.0% | 1.8% | 8.8% |
| 11 | King of Prussia | 25,025 | 75.2% | 2.3% | 11.1% | 7.0% |
| 12 | Lansdale | 18,865 | 76.0% | 5.5% | 4.0% | 13.1% |
| 13 | Philadelphia | 1,582,432 | 76.1% | 10.8% | 5.5% | 11.3% |
| 14 | Easton | 29,079 | 77.5% | 18.1% | 0.5% | 9.0% |
| 15 | Colonial Park | 18,125 | 79.8% | 4.3% | 4.6% | 10.4% |
| 16 | Harrisburg | 50,092 | 80.5% | 14.5% | 1.7% | 10.4% |
| 17 | Horsham | 15,866 | 80.7% | 9.9% | 5.9% | 3.8% |
| 18 | Hershey | 14,334 | 81.5% | 9.4% | 4.2% | 9.2% |
| 19 | Scranton | 76,074 | 81.7% | 11.1% | 1.4% | 8.4% |
| 20 | Whitehall | 14,863 | 83.1% | 0.5% | 2.9% | 9.6% |
| 21 | Chambersburg | 22,051 | 83.2% | 13.8% | 0.8% | 7.1% |
| 22 | State College | 40,669 | 83.5% | 3.1% | 7.4% | 4.7% |
| 23 | Drexel Hill | 30,015 | 84.6% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 5.6% |
| 24 | Franklin Park | 15,273 | 85.2% | 1.5% | 8.4% | 3.1% |
| 25 | Baldwin | 21,159 | 87.4% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 6.9% |
| 26 | Pittsburgh | 303,620 | 88.2% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 3.3% |
| 27 | Levittown | 50,930 | 88.9% | 6.2% | 1.7% | 4.4% |
| 28 | West Chester | 19,235 | 89.2% | 7.5% | 0.8% | 3.9% |
| 29 | Erie | 94,156 | 89.3% | 4.3% | 0.8% | 5.0% |
| 30 | Ardmore | 14,165 | 89.5% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| 31 | Carlisle | 21,335 | 89.8% | 4.2% | 2.0% | 4.2% |
| 32 | Phoenixville | 19,062 | 89.8% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| 33 | Monroeville | 28,383 | 90.1% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 2.4% |
| 34 | Hanover | 16,483 | 91.0% | 7.4% | 1.1% | 4.2% |
| 35 | Chester | 33,209 | 91.2% | 6.7% | 0.7% | 3.6% |
| 36 | Pottstown | 23,392 | 91.8% | 5.7% | 1.3% | 2.7% |
| 37 | Indiana | 14,170 | 92.9% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| 38 | Allison Park | 22,108 | 93.0% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.3% |
| 39 | Murrysville | 20,839 | 93.2% | 0.8% | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| 40 | Weigelstown | 15,401 | 93.4% | 3.1% | 0.8% | 2.4% |
| 41 | West Mifflin | 19,338 | 93.5% | 4.4% | 0.1% | 1.4% |
| 42 | Bethel Park | 33,070 | 94.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.4% |
| 43 | New Castle | 21,727 | 95.0% | 3.1% | 0.0% | 1.8% |
| 44 | Williamsport | 27,629 | 95.2% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 1.1% |
| 45 | McKeesport | 17,520 | 95.5% | 3.2% | 0.6% | 2.6% |
| 46 | Johnstown | 18,245 | 96.1% | 2.6% | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| 47 | Plum | 26,873 | 97.2% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| 48 | Hermitage | 16,132 | 97.2% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| 49 | Greensburg | 14,777 | 97.3% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| 50 | Altoona | 43,508 | 97.5% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.8% |
This table ranks Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania cities, though Asian and Pacific Island languages are also significant in many communities.