Languages Spoken in Los Angeles: English Dominates, But Diversity Is Extreme
English is the most spoken language in Los Angeles (~75% of population) — but LA's linguistic landscape is among the world's most diverse.
Language Breakdown (ACS 2022, LA County)
| Language | Speakers (5+ yrs) | % of Pop |
|---|
| English only | ~4.1M | 43% |
| Spanish | ~3.2M | 34% |
| Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) | ~400K | 4% |
| Tagalog/Filipino | ~250K | 2.5% |
| Korean | ~180K | 2% |
| Vietnamese | ~150K | 1.5% |
| Armenian | ~100K | 1% |
| Persian/Farsi | ~80K | 0.8% |
| Russian | ~70K | 0.7% |
| Japanese | ~50K | 0.5% |
| Arabic | ~50K | 0.5% |
| Other | ~500K | 5% |
Total 5+ population: ~9.5M. Percentages exceed 100% due to multilingualism.
Spatial Patterns
- East LA, South Gate, Huntington Park: Spanish dominant (>80%)
- Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel: Chinese dominant
- Koreatown: Korean + Spanish + English
- Little Tokyo, Sawtelle: Japanese
- Thai Town, Historic Filipinotown: Ethnic enclaves
- Westside, Beach Cities: English dominant, high bilingualism
Implications
- Government services: Mandatory translation (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Armenian, Persian, Russian, Japanese)
- Business: Multilingual signage, staffing, marketing standard
- Education: 150+ languages in LAUSD; dual immersion programs expanding
- Emergency: 911 supports 240+ languages via LanguageLine
LA isn't "English with minorities" — it's a plurilingual metropolis where English is plurality, not majority, in many neighborhoods.
Wanderlust World