Hyderabad: Telugu, which is widely spoken in the Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, is now the eleventh most spoken foreign language in the United States.
According to a Statistical Atlas of US based on the US Census Bureau Data, there has been a surge in Telugu speaking population in the US, from 3.6 lakh in 2016 to 12.3 lakh in 2024.
The state of California hosts the highest number of Telugu speaking population, with 2 lakh people speaking the language while Texas comes in second with 1.5 lakh Telugu speaking population. It is followed by New Jersey with 1.1 lakh, Illinois with 83,000, Virginia with 78,000 and Georgia with 52,000.
This is a four-fold rise in numbers and local Telugu associations say that the numbers are in line with their estimates. These numbers include fourth-generation immigrants to recently arrived students.
The influence of Telugu language has risen significantly, which is the eleventh most spoken language out of the 350. As per India Mobility Report in 2024, students from AP and Telangana form the largest cohort of Indian students in the US – forming 12.5 percent of the student crowd.
“Over 75 percent of them settle in the US, mostly in Dallas, Bay Area, New Jersey, North Carolina, New Jersey, Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, Ashok Kolla, former secretary of Telugu Association of North America was quoted as saying by TOI.
About 60,000 to 70,000 students go to the US every year, along with 10,000 H1B visa holders.
The state of California hosts the highest number of Telugu speaking population, with 2 lakh people speaking the language. Telangana States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
