To which language should you translate to localize in the United States?
What we know from our community
“English is the most common language spoken in the United States, with approximately 239 million speakers. However, there are actually between 350 and 430 languages spoken there, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. The federal government has never declared an official language, but some state governments have adopted English as their official language, with varying policies for other languages. There are roughly 30 different major dialects in America; for example, people living in the southwest will not refer to a carbonated beverage using the same word as those from the south or east coast. Americans also have drastically different accents depending on which part of the country they come from. After English, Spanish is spoken by over 40 million people in the USA, with some regions carrying a high percentage of this number: just consider, 42% of the population in Los Angeles are native Spanish speakers. The United States is a vast territory abounding with opportunities for companies abroad. They should make sure to localize their content for specific areas, considering other languages depending on these targets.”
LANGUAGE INSIGHT
Main language
AmericanEnglish (78%; 261.23 mln)
Actual languages
American English (78%; 261.23 mln), Spanish (13.3%; 44.54 mln), other (8.7%; 29.13 mln)
What the top 150 best localized websites in the world do in the United States
(Top 150 websites listed in the Global by Design ranking – published annually by Byte Level Research, this report provides a list of globally localized websites, showcasing best practices and emerging trends in their globalization)
113/150 localize by translating into English
25/150 localize by translating into both English and Spanish
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Spanish, Simplified Chines and Traditional Chinese
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, German, Hebrew, Korean and Portuguese
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, German, Portuguese, French, Polish, Italian, Japanese, Czech, Hungarian, Dutch and Swedish
1/150 localizes by translating into both English and American Sign Language
1/150 localizes by translating into English, American Sign Language, Navajo Language, Hawaiian Language, Western Apache Language and Powhatan Language
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Navajo Language, Hawaiian Language and Pennsylvania German
1/150 localizes by translating into both English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Korean
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, German, Korean, Portuguese, French, Russian, Italian and Japanese
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Simplified Chinese and French
1/150 localizes by translating into English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, German, Korean, Portuguese, French, Polish, Russian, Italian and Japanese
1/150 localizes by translating into both English, Spanish, Portuguese and French
1/150 localizes by translating into both English, Spanish and Korean
Imports $3.12 trillion (2022). Crude Petroleum ($199B), Cars ($159B), Broadcasting Equipment ($116B), Computers($108B), and Packaged Medicaments ($91.3B), importing mostly from China ($551B), Canada ($438B), Mexico ($421B), Germany ($153B), and Japan ($137B).
Financial inclusion factors (over 15 years of age) • 93% have an account with a financial institution • 65.6% have a credit card • 27% have a mobile money account • 77% make online purchases
Ease of doing business It is very easy to conduct business (rated 84.0 out of 100) ranked 6th out of 44 countries among OECD high income ranked 6th out of 190 countries worldwide (2019, World Bank).
Exports $1.95 trillion (2022). Refined Petroleum($138B), Crude Petroleum ($118B), Petroleum Gas ($116B), Cars ($57.5B), and Integrated Circuits ($49.8B), exporting mostly to Canada ($308B), Mexico ($294B), China ($151B), Japan ($79.5B), and United Kingdom ($75.4B).
Main local online stores Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Apple.com, Homedepot.com, Bestbuy.com, Target.com, Macys.com, Wayfair.com, Costco.com, Kohis.com.
Economic freedom ‘Mostly free’ (70.1 out of 100) ranked 2nd out of 2 Northern American countries ranked 25th out of 186 countries worldwide (2019, Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal).
Global Innovation Index
Ranked 1st out of 2 Northern American countries, 3rd out of 132 worldwide.
The Global Innovation Index captures the innovation ecosystem performance of 132 economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.
The Top Export Opportunities for United States by Relatedness
Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product by showing only products that United States is not specialized in.
United States' Most Complex Exports
The Product Complexity Index (PCI) measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.
Specialization is measured using Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), an index that takes the ratio between United States observed and expected exports in each product.
This score represents the likelihood that the given country will start importing that product in the next few years. It forecasts the opening of a new specific market.
Market Growth Exports (2018)
This score represents the likelihood that the given country will start exporting that product in the next few years. It forecasts the opening of a new specific market.
Information channels The US has the most highly-developed mass media in the world. Its dramas, comedies, soap operas, animations, music videos and films have a global audience and are part of the staple fare of broadcasters worldwide. TV is America’s most popular medium. ABC, CBS and NBC held sector leadership for decades until the mass take-up of cable and satellite and the arrival of the Fox network. Fox News Channel is the dominant US cable news network. But viewing habits are changing and the proportion of consumed content accounted for by live broadcast TV is falling. The US leads the world in the adoption of over-the-top (OTT) video-on-demand, delivered by broadband internet. “The US has a free, diverse, and constitutionally protected press,” says Washington-based Freedom House (2019). The NGO says news coverage has become more polarised, with some outlets and well-known commentators “providing a consistently right- or left-leaning perspective”.
Public Broadcasting
Public broadcasting is partly government-funded, but also supported by private grants. Universities and colleges operate outlets. National Public Radio (NPR) – with hundreds of affiliate stations – offers news, debate and music without advertising. Public TV services operated by PBS have a mission to provide “quality” and educational programming. The government sponsors TV, radio and online outlets aimed at audiences outside the US, including in the former Soviet bloc, the Middle East and Asia, and Cuba. There are more than 1,000 daily newspapers in the US, most of them with a local or regional readership, but they have been hit by online competition.
ABC – major commercial network CBS – major commercial network NBC – major commercial network Fox – major commercial network CNN – pioneer of 24-hour rolling TV news, operates domestic and international streams MTV – pioneer of music television HBO (Home Box Office) – pay TV network; originator of some of American TV’s most critically–acclaimed programmes PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) – public TV, serves some 350 non-commercial member stations
Radio
NPR (National Public Radio) – non-commercial network of member stations; news, information and cultural programmes iHeart Media – America’s largest commercial radio operator, owns more than 1,200 stations Entercom – major commercial operator Cumulus Media– major commercial operator
External broadcasting
Voice of America– government-funded, programmes for global audiences in many languages Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty– government-funded, targets eastern Europe, former Soviet Union and the Caucasus in local languages Radio Free Asia– government funded, targets China, North Korea and South East Asia Al-Hurra– government-funded, satellite TV for Middle East Radio Sawa– government-funded, Arabic-language radio for Middle East Radio Farda– government-funded, Persian-language radio Radio and TV Marti– government-funded services for Cuba
Corruption perceptions Index USA scored 69 out of 100, ranked 24th out of 180 countries worldwide.
Glass Ceiling Index 58.2 out 100, ranked 18th out of 29 countries.
The glass-ceiling index measures the environment for working women combining data on higher education, labor-force participation, pay, child-care costs, maternity and paternity rights, business-school applications, and representation in senior jobs.
Current health expenditure 16.57% of GDP (2022)
Education expenditure 90% of total expenditure in public institutions (2020).
World Happiness Index USA ranked 16 out of 146 countries, with a score of 6.977.
Average students debt per borrower in selected U.S. states in the first decade of the 20th century
Source: US Department of Education
The Data Factbook is a work in progress project. Our community is helping us to fill it up always with new and updated data. Your contribution is precious. If you want to help us, please write your advices at imminent@translated.com
Country Curiosities
Though English is the de facto national language in the U.S., there’s no official language at the federal level, making it the most populous country without one—a unique status rooted in the nation’s values of inclusion and diversity. This openness has fostered a vibrant linguistic landscape, with over 350 languages spoken across the country, from Spanish and Chinese to indigenous languages like Navajo and Hawaiian. Some states, such as Hawaii, recognize additional languages to honor local heritage, while others have made English official through state laws.
Additionally…
The U.S. leads the world economy with a $25.5 trillion GDP, contributing about 24% of global output.
American tech giants like Apple and Google drive the tech industry with $2 trillion in GDP and $400 billion in tech exports.
The U.S. holds the largest AI market globally, valued at $50.16 billion in 2024.
Approximately 58 million Americans use language learning apps, increasing national multilingualism.
U.S. private consumption, 68% of GDP, makes Americans leading global consumers in tech, entertainment, and luxury goods.
Alaska supports cultural preservation by recognizing 20 Indigenous languages alongside English.
The U.S. government invests around $3.3 billion annually in AI research and development.
Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee daily, making the U.S. a top coffee consumer worldwide.
With over 35,000 museums, the U.S. boasts the most cultural institutions globally.
Languages research
Most common languages spoken a home other than English or Spanish
Legend
German
Vietnamese
Chinese
Navajo
Korean
Nepal
Dakota/Lakota/Nakota/Sioux
Somali
Arabic
French
Tagalog
Polish
Hmong
Pennsylvania Dutch
Portuguese
Haitian Creole
Gujarati
Aleut/Eskimo
Ilocano
Most commonly spoken languages other than English
Legend
Spanish
German
French
Yupik
Tagalog
The geographical distribution of languages that you will find in the maps published in this section is a work in progress. Our community is helping us to fill it up with always new and updated data. Your contribution is precious. If you want to help us, please write to imminent.factbook@translated.com
Photo credit: Nirmal Rajendharkumar, Unsplash
Log into your account
Sign up to Imminent
202 countries data index
Get your account for free
Reset your password
Enter the email address you used when you joined to reset your password.
Search anything and hit ENTER
Language is what makes us human.
A selection of world news for global citizens
Insights to understand local cultures and languages
Data Factbooks to help you localize at the best your business project
We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to visit this site you agree to our use of cookies. Learn moreOk