Where French Is Spoken in the United States Today

While Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic outrank French in U.S. home speakers, French maintains distinct pockets of vitality:

🏆 Louisiana – The Francophone Heartland

• Cajun French (Acadian) – Rural parishes (Vermilion, Lafayette, St. Martin, Evangeline). ~150,000 speakers (declining).
• Louisiana Creole – Distinct French-based creole; fewer speakers.
• CODOFIL (Council for Development of French in Louisiana) supports immersion schools, festivals (Festival International), media.

🌲 Northern New England – Borderland Francophonie

• Maine (Aroostook, Androscoggin) – ~5% of households speak French at home (highest state %). Legacy of Québec migrants (19th–20th C mill workers).
• New Hampshire (Coos County) & Vermont (Franklin, Orleans) – Similar cross-border communities.

🏙️ Urban Expat & Heritage Communities

• New York City, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Washington DC – French expats, diplomats, UN/NGO staff, African/Caribbean immigrants (Haiti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, DRC, Cameroon).
• French international schools (Lyceums) in NYC, DC, Chicago, SF, Houston.

📚 Education

French is the #2 most-taught foreign language in U.S. K–12 (after Spanish) and #2 in higher education. ~1.2M students enrolled.

Bottom line: No U.S. region has French as a majority community language today, but Louisiana and northern New England retain intergenerational speaker bases, while major metros host vibrant francophone networks.