Here are the 22 US cities and towns with more Spanish than English speakers

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Here are the 22 US cities and towns with more Spanish than English speakers

cbsas with more spanish than english alone speakers v2

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  • Several candidates spoke in Spanish during the first 2020 Democratic presidential debates Wednesday.
  • The US is home to 41 million Spanish speakers, a key voting bloc for Democrats.
  • Here are the cities where more people speak Spanish than English-only.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The ability to speak Spanish has become an asset in the race for US president.

Several Democratic presidential candidates spoke in Spanish during the first 2020 presidential debate on Wednesday, notably former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas. The trend may continue into Thursday's debate, when the remaining candidates will face-off.

Democrats are likely to court the Hispanic vote to win the race, as Hispanic Americans are projected to make up a little over 13% of the electorate for 2020, and 69% of Latinos voted democratic during the 2018 midterms.

According to the Pew Research Center, 41 million people speak Spanish in the US, and the majority of Latino adults are bilingual. In some areas of the US, especially in cities around the Southwest, you're more likely to hear Spanish than English.

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The US Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks over a million Americans each year dozens of questions about their social, demographic, and economic situations. One of the questions asks respondents to indicate what primary languages they speak.

Based on results from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey, the 22 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas highlighted in the map above have more residents who speak Spanish than who just speak English and nothing else.

Here are the areas where there are more Spanish speakers than people who only speak English.

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Salinas, California: 47.5% of this county speaks Spanish.

Salinas, California: 47.5% of this county speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 45.9%

Total population (over age 5): 400,322

Las Cruces, New Mexico: 49.6% of this city speaks Spanish.

Las Cruces, New Mexico: 49.6% of this city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 48.3%

Total population (over age 5): 199,100

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Deming, New Mexico: 50% of the population speaks Spanish.

Deming, New Mexico: 50% of the population speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 48.6%

Total population (over age 5): 22,523

Española, New Mexico: 50.6% of the population speaks Spanish.

Española, New Mexico: 50.6% of the population speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 38.8%

Total population (over age 5): 36,772

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Othello, Washington: 51.3% of the city speaks Spanish.

Othello, Washington: 51.3% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 45.1%

Total population (over age 5): 17,276

Uvalde, Texas: 51.5% of this city speaks Spanish.

Uvalde, Texas: 51.5% of this city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 47.7%

Total population (over age 5): 24,887

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Hereford, Texas: 51.9% of this city speaks Spanish.

Hereford, Texas: 51.9% of this city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 47.4%

Total population (over age 5): 17,232

Yuma, Arizona: 51.9% of the city speaks Spanish.

Yuma, Arizona: 51.9% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 46.2%

Total population (over age 5): 18,9176

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Liberal, Kansas: 53.6% of the area speaks Spanish.

Liberal, Kansas: 53.6% of the area speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 41.%

Total population (over age 5): 20,871

Las Vegas, New Mexico: 54.7% of the city speaks Spanish.

Las Vegas, New Mexico: 54.7% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 42.6%

Total population (over age 5): 26,812

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Raymondville, Texas: 58.7% of the area speaks Spanish.

Raymondville, Texas: 58.7% of the area speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 40.4%

Total population (over age 5): 20,442

Pecos, Texas: 61.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Pecos, Texas: 61.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 37.3%

Total population (over age 5): 13,869

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Del Rio, Texas: 67.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Del Rio, Texas: 67.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 31.6%

Total population (over age 5): 44,777

El Paso, Texas: 69.7% of the city speaks Spanish.

El Paso, Texas: 69.7% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 28.2%

Total population (over age 5): 772,589

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Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas: 72.5% of the city speaks Spanish.

Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas: 72.5% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 26.6%

Total population (over age 5): 38,4007

El Centro, California: 74.6% of the city speaks Spanish.

El Centro, California: 74.6% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 23.9%

Total population (over age 5): 164,834

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Nogales, Arizona: 77.6% of the city speaks Spanish.

Nogales, Arizona: 77.6% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 21.4%

Total population (over age 5): 43,062

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas: 83.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas: 83.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 15.7%

Total population (over age 5): 759,143

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Zapata, Texas: 89.7% of the area speaks Spanish.

Zapata, Texas: 89.7% of the area speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 9.6%

Total population (over age 5): 12,969

Laredo, Texas: 90% of the city speaks Spanish.

Laredo, Texas: 90% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 9.4%

Total population (over age 5): 242,931

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Eagle Pass, Texas: 92.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Eagle Pass, Texas: 92.2% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 6.9%

Total population (over age 5): 52,025

Rio Grande City, Texas: 96.3% of the city speaks Spanish.

Rio Grande City, Texas: 96.3% of the city speaks Spanish.

Share of the population that speaks only English: 3.6%

Total population (over age 5): 56,972

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