Languages Spoken in Texas
Linguistic diversity, English proficiency, and languages spoken at home across Texas cities
Language Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCities with Data
50
of top 50 by population
Most Multilingual City
Laredo
11.9% English only
Avg. Limited English
13.1%
across reported cities
Across the top 50 cities in Texas with language data, Laredo stands out as the most linguistically diverse, with only 11.9% of residents speaking English exclusively at home. On average, 13.1% of residents across these cities have limited English proficiency, meaning they speak English less than "very well."
Most Multilingual Cities in Texas
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS| # | City | Population | English Only % | Spanish % | Asian/Pacific % | Limited English % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laredo | 255,949 | 11.9% | 87.3% | 0.5% | 40.6% |
| 2 | Brownsville | 188,023 | 15.6% | 83.5% | 0.5% | 28.1% |
| 3 | Mission | 86,234 | 21.1% | 77.0% | 1.0% | 25.5% |
| 4 | McAllen | 143,789 | 26.4% | 71.0% | 1.9% | 27.8% |
| 5 | Edinburg | 102,561 | 27.8% | 69.2% | 1.9% | 20.1% |
| 6 | El Paso | 678,147 | 33.6% | 64.1% | 1.0% | 25.8% |
| 7 | Irving | 255,036 | 39.5% | 36.6% | 10.0% | 23.3% |
| 8 | Garland | 245,298 | 47.6% | 38.3% | 9.3% | 24.4% |
| 9 | Pasadena | 149,345 | 48.6% | 49.3% | 1.4% | 23.8% |
| 10 | Houston | 2,300,419 | 52.8% | 37.4% | 4.3% | 22.0% |
| 11 | Grand Prairie | 198,564 | 55.6% | 36.0% | 4.2% | 17.5% |
| 12 | Sugar Land | 109,735 | 56.9% | 6.8% | 20.4% | 14.2% |
| 13 | Odessa | 114,080 | 57.2% | 39.8% | 1.3% | 12.7% |
| 14 | Baytown | 84,538 | 57.9% | 38.5% | 1.5% | 16.9% |
| 15 | Mesquite | 148,848 | 58.6% | 36.5% | 2.8% | 15.8% |
| 16 | Dallas | 1,299,553 | 58.9% | 35.1% | 2.1% | 18.2% |
| 17 | San Antonio | 1,458,954 | 59.6% | 36.4% | 1.8% | 12.6% |
| 18 | Carrollton | 132,741 | 60.4% | 23.6% | 10.1% | 15.5% |
| 19 | Plano | 287,339 | 62.5% | 12.0% | 12.4% | 12.3% |
| 20 | Lewisville | 128,313 | 63.8% | 21.9% | 8.9% | 14.7% |
| 21 | Arlington | 394,769 | 64.5% | 22.9% | 5.1% | 13.7% |
| 22 | Richardson | 118,269 | 66.3% | 12.2% | 9.4% | 10.1% |
| 23 | Frisco | 210,238 | 67.2% | 7.5% | 15.1% | 7.9% |
| 24 | Fort Worth | 941,311 | 67.5% | 24.9% | 2.9% | 12.2% |
| 25 | Corpus Christi | 317,383 | 68.1% | 29.0% | 1.6% | 6.6% |
| 26 | Bryan | 86,169 | 68.2% | 28.8% | 0.9% | 12.2% |
| 27 | Midland | 133,998 | 68.4% | 27.4% | 1.9% | 11.5% |
| 28 | Pearland | 125,983 | 69.7% | 13.5% | 10.2% | 9.6% |
| 29 | Austin | 967,862 | 70.2% | 20.1% | 4.6% | 10.3% |
| 30 | Allen | 107,684 | 70.3% | 7.3% | 11.2% | 9.8% |
| 31 | Conroe | 96,976 | 71.5% | 24.5% | 1.7% | 12.1% |
| 32 | Round Rock | 124,288 | 72.7% | 17.7% | 4.3% | 9.2% |
| 33 | McKinney | 202,314 | 74.9% | 11.2% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| 34 | Atascocita | 93,926 | 75.1% | 19.7% | 2.0% | 6.2% |
| 35 | San Angelo | 99,507 | 75.7% | 22.1% | 0.8% | 5.9% |
| 36 | Killeen | 156,144 | 76.4% | 17.4% | 3.0% | 5.5% |
| 37 | The Woodlands | 116,916 | 76.6% | 13.4% | 4.1% | 5.3% |
| 38 | Amarillo | 200,945 | 76.9% | 17.4% | 3.5% | 7.6% |
| 39 | Waco | 141,925 | 77.8% | 19.5% | 1.2% | 13.3% |
| 40 | Denton | 146,987 | 78.0% | 16.1% | 2.2% | 6.6% |
| 41 | Tyler | 107,718 | 78.2% | 18.8% | 1.4% | 9.9% |
| 42 | College Station | 122,280 | 79.1% | 9.7% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| 43 | Lubbock | 261,078 | 79.5% | 16.8% | 1.8% | 4.6% |
| 44 | Beaumont | 113,710 | 79.7% | 16.5% | 1.9% | 8.2% |
| 45 | Longview | 82,765 | 80.6% | 16.6% | 1.1% | 6.6% |
| 46 | New Braunfels | 98,700 | 80.7% | 17.5% | 0.4% | 4.7% |
| 47 | League City | 114,885 | 81.7% | 10.6% | 4.3% | 5.0% |
| 48 | Abilene | 127,130 | 81.9% | 14.6% | 1.5% | 4.0% |
| 49 | Temple | 86,358 | 82.7% | 14.3% | 1.4% | 6.3% |
| 50 | Wichita Falls | 102,558 | 85.4% | 11.0% | 1.9% | 4.6% |
This table ranks Texas 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 Texas cities, though Asian and Pacific Island languages are also significant in many communities.