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Medical interpreters in New York City

Opalite runs AI-powered medical interpretation, in real time, across the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, available 24/7 on the devices your teams already carry.

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There are 7.8 million people in the New York City metro area who use a language other than English at home.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

Major metro areas in New York
Metro areaSpeak a language other than EnglishLimited-English residents
New York-Newark-Jersey City7,781,3183,471,106
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)1,069,492424,832
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)249,03584,206
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)286,562117,990
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)171,25774,538
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh160,87965,264
New Haven (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)121,10744,952
Waterbury-Shelton (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)100,55138,184
Trenton-Princeton (nearby, entirely in a neighboring state)130,15852,461

The 15 most spoken languages after English in the New York City metro area

  1. 1Spanish3,859,775
  2. 2Chinese721,530
  3. 3Russian233,769
  4. 4Haitian Creole204,568
  5. 5Yiddish & other West Germanic193,019
  6. 6Bengali190,723
  7. 7Arabic172,187
  8. 8Korean150,790
  9. 9French149,819
  10. 10Hindi144,228
  11. 11Tagalog138,685
  12. 12Yoruba, Twi, Igbo & other West African136,821
  13. 13Portuguese133,986
  14. 14Italian133,796
  15. 15Polish122,199

41%

of New York City metro area residents speak a language other than English at home.

3.5 million

New York City metro area residents speak English less than “very well”: the federal threshold for needing language assistance.

#12

highest limited-English share for the New York City area among the 200 largest U.S. metro areas.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

Meet Opalite.

Real-time AI medical interpretation in 150+ languages and dialects, connecting providers and patients in seconds.

  • Works on the devices care teams already carry: phones, tablets, computers, and telehealth platforms
  • Integrates with all EHRs
  • Built for HIPAA-compliant healthcare
  • SOC 2 Type II attested security controls
See how Opalite works

Language access in New York City’s five boroughs

1,777,871 New York City residents speak English less than “very well,” according to 2015-2019 ACS data. The figures below cover the five boroughs; the figures above cover the larger New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area.

City

New York City

1,777,871

residents speak English less than “very well”.

5 boroughs · 59 community districts

Most spoken by limited-English residents

  1. Spanish856,53048.2%
  2. Chinese330,92118.6%
  3. Russian108,2376.1%
  4. Bengali59,2373.3%
  5. Korean40,3312.3%

Limited-English residents by borough, 2015-2019

  1. Queens 622,117 residents speak English less than “very well”, 35.0% of the city’s 1,777,871.

    Most spoken: Spanish 253,794 (40.8%), Chinese 144,650 (23.3%), Bengali 37,365 (6.0%), Korean 31,296 (5.0%), and Russian 15,966 (2.6%).

    Community districts, by limited-English residents: Flushing, Bay Terrace 121,215, Jackson Heights, North Corona 79,686, Elmhurst, South Corona 65,477, Sunnyside, Woodside 47,093, Fresh Meadows, Briarwood 42,708, Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth 40,462, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill 38,063, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck 35,052, Astoria, Long Island City 34,740, Jamaica, St. Albans, Hollis 33,448, Forest Hills, Rego Park 26,927, Queens Village, Rosedale 24,481, Ozone Park, Howard Beach 17,122, and The Rockaways, Broad Channel 15,643.

  2. Brooklyn 527,342 residents speak English less than “very well”, 29.7% of the city’s 1,777,871.

    Most spoken: Spanish 162,246 (30.8%), Chinese 121,413 (23.0%), Russian 79,899 (15.2%), Yiddish 30,474 (5.8%), and Haitian Creole 26,483 (5.0%).

    Community districts, by limited-English residents: Bensonhurst, Bath Beach 84,205, Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace 62,631, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach 51,123, Coney Island, Brighton Beach 50,447, Borough Park, Ocean Parkway 39,884, Flatbush, Midwood 34,333, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights 31,698, Williamsburg, Greenpoint 31,081, Bushwick 28,164, East New York, Starrett City 23,137, Canarsie, Flatlands 22,355, Bedford Stuyvesant 14,840, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene 10,572, Brownsville, Ocean Hill 9,839, East Flatbush, Rugby, Farragut 9,785, Crown Heights South, Wingate 9,365, Crown Heights North 8,093, and Park Slope, Carroll Gardens 5,790.

  3. The Bronx 350,412 residents speak English less than “very well”, 19.7% of the city’s 1,777,871.

    Most spoken: Spanish 288,280 (82.3%), Bengali 9,595 (2.7%), French 7,160 (2.0%), Arabic 4,676 (1.3%), and Akan (Twi) 4,619 (1.3%).

    Community districts, by limited-English residents: Highbridge, Concourse Village 48,138, University Hts., Fordham, Mt. Hope 46,770, Bedford Park, Norwood, Fordham 46,219, Soundview, Parkchester 42,937, Pelham Pkwy, Morris Park, Laconia 27,599, Melrose, Mott Haven, Port Morris 27,202, Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill 23,174, East Tremont, Belmont 21,963, Morrisania, Crotona Park East 21,039, Hunts Point, Longwood 15,528, Wakefield, Williamsbridge 15,293, and Throgs Nk., Co-op City, Pelham Bay 14,550.

  4. Manhattan 227,828 residents speak English less than “very well”, 12.8% of the city’s 1,777,871.

    Most spoken: Spanish 139,018 (61.0%), Chinese 50,321 (22.1%), French 5,993 (2.6%), Japanese 4,835 (2.1%), and Korean 4,086 (1.8%).

    Community districts, by limited-English residents: Washington Heights, Inwood 74,470, Lower East Side, Chinatown 41,906, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights 23,784, East Harlem 19,924, West Side, Upper West Side 14,074, Central Harlem 13,909, Stuyvesant Town, Turtle Bay 9,597, Upper East Side 9,260, Chelsea, Clinton 8,752, Greenwich Village, Soho 4,636, Midtown Business District 4,380, and Battery Park City, Tribeca 3,136.

  5. Staten Island 50,172 residents speak English less than “very well”, 2.8% of the city’s 1,777,871.

    Most spoken: Spanish 13,192 (26.3%), Chinese 10,691 (21.3%), Russian 6,553 (13.1%), Italian 3,071 (6.1%), and Albanian 2,765 (5.5%).

    Community districts, by limited-English residents: Stapleton, Port Richmond 20,669, New Springville, South Beach 18,784, and Tottenville, Woodrow, Great Kills 10,719.

Where each language’s limited-English speakers live

  1. Spanish 856,530 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: The Bronx 288,280 (33.7%), Queens 253,794 (29.6%), Brooklyn 162,246 (18.9%), Manhattan 139,018 (16.2%), and Staten Island 13,192 (1.5%). Most concentrated in Washington Heights, Inwood (Manhattan), 70,064 speakers.
  2. Chinese 330,921 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Queens 144,650 (43.7%), Brooklyn 121,413 (36.7%), Manhattan 50,321 (15.2%), Staten Island 10,691 (3.2%), and The Bronx 3,846 (1.2%). Most concentrated in Flushing, Bay Terrace (Queens), 67,444 speakers.
  3. Russian 108,237 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Brooklyn 79,899 (73.8%), Queens 15,966 (14.8%), Staten Island 6,553 (6.1%), Manhattan 3,981 (3.7%), and The Bronx 1,838 (1.7%). Most concentrated in Coney Island, Brighton Beach (Brooklyn), 28,553 speakers.
  4. Bengali 59,237 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Queens 37,365 (63.1%), Brooklyn 10,467 (17.7%), The Bronx 9,595 (16.2%), Manhattan 1,221 (2.1%), and Staten Island 589 (1.0%). Most concentrated in Jamaica, St. Albans, Hollis (Queens), 9,584 speakers.
  5. Korean 40,331 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Queens 31,296 (77.6%), Manhattan 4,086 (10.1%), Brooklyn 2,003 (5.0%), The Bronx 1,542 (3.8%), and Staten Island 1,404 (3.5%). Most concentrated in Flushing, Bay Terrace (Queens), 15,694 speakers.
  6. Haitian Creole 39,008 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Brooklyn 26,483 (67.9%), Queens 10,045 (25.8%), The Bronx 1,294 (3.3%), Manhattan 1,122 (2.9%), and Staten Island 64 (0.2%). Most concentrated in Canarsie, Flatlands (Brooklyn), 8,576 speakers.
  7. Yiddish 30,964 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Brooklyn 30,474 (98.4%), Queens 346 (1.1%), The Bronx 64 (0.2%), Staten Island 57 (0.2%), and Manhattan 23 (<0.1%). Most concentrated in Borough Park, Ocean Parkway (Brooklyn), 12,432 speakers.
  8. Arabic 28,803 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Brooklyn 14,591 (50.7%), Queens 5,570 (19.3%), The Bronx 4,676 (16.2%), Staten Island 2,273 (7.9%), and Manhattan 1,693 (5.9%). Most concentrated in Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach (Brooklyn), 3,236 speakers.
  9. Polish 23,406 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Queens 11,958 (51.1%), Brooklyn 8,383 (35.8%), Staten Island 1,816 (7.8%), Manhattan 948 (4.1%), and The Bronx 301 (1.3%). Most concentrated in Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth (Queens), 7,284 speakers.
  10. Italian 22,687 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Queens 7,802 (34.4%), Brooklyn 7,320 (32.3%), Staten Island 3,071 (13.5%), The Bronx 2,834 (12.5%), and Manhattan 1,660 (7.3%). Most concentrated in Bensonhurst, Bath Beach (Brooklyn), 3,596 speakers.
  11. French 22,186 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: The Bronx 7,160 (32.3%), Manhattan 5,993 (27.0%), Brooklyn 5,712 (25.7%), Queens 2,957 (13.3%), and Staten Island 364 (1.6%). Most concentrated in Central Harlem (Manhattan), 2,081 speakers.
  12. Urdu 20,703 limited-English speakers citywide. By borough: Brooklyn 12,001 (58.0%), Queens 6,099 (29.5%), Staten Island 1,127 (5.4%), The Bronx 1,092 (5.3%), and Manhattan 384 (1.9%). Most concentrated in Flatbush, Midwood (Brooklyn), 3,099 speakers.

Source: NYC Civic Engagement Commission, Population and Languages of the Limited English Proficient (LEP) Speakers by Community District, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. District boundaries from the NYC Department of City Planning. Parks and airports are shown without data.

FAQs about medical interpretation in New York City

Opalite recorded over 90% fewer errors than certified medical interpreters in its blinded validation study. The study compared Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese clinical dialogue and also reported over 98% fewer major and critical errors. Opalite uses the same underlying interpretation techniques across its supported languages, bringing that approach to local providers.

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