Haitian is the third-most-spoken language in Florida, after English and Spanish
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Haitian, Portuguese and French are the three most commonly spoken languages in Florida other than English and Spanish, per new census data.
Why it matters: Florida has the largest Haitian population in the nation, most of whom lawfully live and work in the state. But the community's been saddled with uncertainty since President Trump took office.
- He rolled back protections for Haitian migrants in February and this week issued a ban against all travelers and immigrants from Haiti.
The big picture: The myriad languages spoken nationwide reflect both the settlement and colonization of centuries long past, as well as more modern immigration patterns.
- While Spanish is far and away the predominant non-English language nationwide, with about 41.2 million speakers, putting it aside offers insight into other groups and population centers around the country.
By the numbers: About 426,000 people in Florida speak Haitian, 139,000 speak Portuguese, and 103,000 speak French, per U.S. Census Bureau survey data.
- That's for languages spoken at home during the 2017-2021 period among people 5 years and older.
Between the lines: Many multilingual people speak one language at home with family but use English at work, school and elsewhere.
- Just over 60% of people who speak a language other than English at home in the U.S. also say they speak English "very well," per the census data.