Oklahoma’s language diversity grows as Vietnamese ranks 3rd

A new U.S. Census Bureau report shows that Vietnamese is the most commonly spoken language at home in Oklahoma, behind only English and Spanish. The data points to shifting immigration patterns, as communities once concentrated in coastal gateway cities are increasingly settling in the Midwest and South.

Oklahoma’s Linguistic Landscape

In Oklahoma, Vietnamese has surpassed other non-English languages, becoming the third most common language spoken at home. This trend mirrors patterns in states like Texas, Kansas and Georgia, where Vietnamese communities have grown steadily over the past few decades.

National Perspective

Nationwide, nearly 22% of U.S. residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home — a number that has doubled over the last 40 years. In California, that figure rises to 44%, while it’s just 2.5% in West Virginia.

Spanish Still Dominates, But Not Everywhere

Spanish remains the top non-English language spoken at home in nearly every state except Hawaii, Maine and Vermont. In Oklahoma and six other states, however, Vietnamese has become the third most-used language, showcasing the country’s evolving immigrant communities.

Immigration and Cultural Shifts

'The United States is a multilingual nation due to immigration, despite recent crackdowns by the Trump administration,' said William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution. 'This is a big part of who we’ve been over a long period of time.'

Official Language Debate

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order naming English the official language of the United States — a move that has sparked renewed debate over the country’s multilingual identity.

What It Means for Oklahoma

The rise of Vietnamese speakers in Oklahoma illustrates a broader trend: immigrants and their families are putting down roots in places once considered unlikely destinations. As Frey noted, 'People of different backgrounds are dispersed to different parts of the country.'