Haitian Creole is the national language of Haiti and boasts an impressive 12 million native speakers worldwide. Besides Haiti, there are also sizable Creole-speaking populations in other parts of the world, including in the Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and the United States.
You might be surprised to learn that the US is actually one of the best places to get in touch with real, spoken Haitian Creole. Certain states have such impressive Creole-speaking populations, that Haitian Creole is an officially recognized minority language! Here are some of the states with the highest Haitian Creole-speaking populations:
Florida
Florida is hands-down the best place in the US to discover Haitian culture and job opportunities for bilingual Creole speakers. This is also the best place to learn Haitian Creole if you live in the US. The sunshine state boasts a Creole population of over half a million people. According to a most recent 2019 population census, there are 533,409 Haitian Creole residents in Florida alone.
The numbers have slowly but steadily increased over the years. As you can imagine, so have work opportunities for bilingual Creole speakers. If you’re a bilingual English and Creole speaker living in Florida, you might enjoy lucrative career prospects in domains such as tutoring, translation, interpreting, or marketing.
New York
New York is the state with the second-highest Creole population in the US. The latest census numbers place the Haitian population of NY at around 192,007, or exactly 1% of New York’s population. This number might not seem very impressive, but the local impact of the Haitian language and culture cannot be overstated.
Did you know that New York City even has a neighborhood called “Little Haiti”? Here, Haitian residents of the state organize a yearly Haitian Day Parade each May during Haitian Heritage Month. This is an important cultural event that celebrates the Haitian language, history, and culture.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a Haitian Creole population of 83,791 people, according to the most recent data. That would make Haitians roughly 1.2% of the state population. While the Creole population here is a lot smaller than in Florida or New York, MA is actually one of the states with the most comprehensive social services and outreach programs for Creole speakers.
If you’re already an advanced Haitian Creole speaker considering job opportunities, MA is a good place to start. Certified C2 Haitian Creole speakers can choose from a vast array of translating and interpreting jobs, as well as jobs in customer care, especially within the medical domain.
Boston, MA has many social service organizations that are always on the lookout for more experienced Creole speakers. Some of these organizations include The Haitian Health Outreach Project, the Haitian Multi-Service Center, the Youth & Family Enrichment Services, the Haitian Studies Association, and the Haitian Mental Health Clinic.
New Jersey
Last but not least, New Jersey is another state with a considerable number of Haitian inhabitants. The number of Haitians in NJ in 2019 was 68,848, or roughly 0.8% of the state population. The Haitian population has slowly increased throughout the last two decades.
Despite the small percentage of Haitians in the state, many NJ cities are on the top list of communities with the highest number of people claiming Haitian ancestry. Some of these cities include Irvington, Roselle, and Asbury Park. There are many more states to list besides the big four we’ve just named. Places like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, California, and Illinois also have Haitian populations counting thousands of inhabitants. Of these states, Georgia has the most Haitian American citizens, roughly 31,669 according to the 2019 US census. Illinois has the least— roughly 9,606 inhabitants or just 0.1% of the state population.