The short answer
615,997 Texas households (±7,644) speak Spanish at home and have no member age 14 or older who speaks English “very well.” That is 19.2% of the state's Spanish-speaking households. Dallas County has the second-most in Texas (64,789), and Bexar County the fifth-most (41,229).
An auto policy, a crash report and a claim letter are usually written in English. For hundreds of thousands of Texas households, that's a barrier. We analyzed the newest Census language data alongside TxDOT crash counts for Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio to show where the need for Spanish-language insurance help is greatest.
Key findings
- 615,997 Texas households speak Spanish at home and are “limited English speaking.” In these households, no one age 14 or older speaks English “very well.” That is 19.2% of the state's 3,206,433 Spanish-speaking households. The Census Bureau describes these as households “that may need English-language assistance.” (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year, Table C16002; margin of error ±7,644; definition)
- Dallas County has the second-most such households in Texas: 64,789 (±2,352), behind only Harris County. That is 22.3% of Dallas County's Spanish-speaking households, above the statewide 19.2%. Within city limits, about 1 in 4 Spanish-speaking households in Irving (25.7%) and Dallas (24.7%) are limited-English. (ACS C16002)
- In Bexar County, Spanish is spoken in 40.8% of all households (306,344). Of those, 41,229 (±2,141) are limited-English, the 5th-highest count of any Texas county. In the City of San Antonio, 43.9% of households speak Spanish at home. (ACS C16002)
- The two counties with the most limited-English Spanish-speaking households in our study area also log the most crashes. Dallas and Bexar counties recorded 94,779 reportable crashes in 2024, which is 17.1% of Texas's 554,146. Together they hold 17.2% of the state's limited-English Spanish-speaking households. (TxDOT, Crashes and Injuries by County, 2024; ACS C16002) These figures show where the need overlaps. They do not show that language causes crashes.
- Statewide, an estimated 14.5% of Texas motorists were uninsured in 2023, ranking Texas 19th among the states. (Insurance Research Council, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists: 2017–2023, published 2025, release; Texas figure as reported by Triple-I) Texas law requires at least 30/60/25 liability coverage, and the Texas Department of Insurance publishes its auto insurance guide in Spanish. (TDI)
County data: Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| County | Area | Households | Spanish-speaking households (share of all) | Spanish-speaking, limited-English households (±MOE) | Limited-English share of Spanish-speaking households (±MOE) | Reportable crashes, 2024 | Traffic deaths, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | DFW | 982,737 | 290,971 (29.6%) | 64,789 (±2,352) | 22.3% (±0.8) | 46,257 | 331 |
| Tarrant | DFW | 782,419 | 161,006 (20.6%) | 29,901 (±1,625) | 18.6% (±1.0) | 28,074 | 201 |
| Collin | DFW | 416,646 | 49,431 (11.9%) | 5,723 (±714) | 11.6% (±1.4) | 15,348 | 73 |
| Denton | DFW | 360,392 | 52,988 (14.7%) | 7,252 (±884) | 13.7% (±1.6) | 12,339 | 50 |
| Ellis | DFW | 71,759 | 14,662 (20.4%) | 1,952 (±407) | 13.3% (±2.7) | 3,861 | 41 |
| Johnson | DFW | 65,507 | 11,153 (17.0%) | 1,415 (±346) | 12.7% (±3.0) | 2,734 | 20 |
| Kaufman | DFW | 50,990 | 9,935 (19.5%) | 855 (±266) | 8.6% (±2.6) | 2,586 | 23 |
| Parker | DFW | 56,437 | 5,332 (9.4%) | 667 (±217) | 12.5% (±3.9) | 2,587 | 35 |
| Rockwall | DFW | 41,237 | 5,279 (12.8%) | 454 (±190) | 8.6% (±3.5) | 2,362 | 5 |
| Bexar | San Antonio | 750,939 | 306,344 (40.8%) | 41,229 (±2,141) | 13.5% (±0.7) | 48,522 | 215 |
| Comal | San Antonio | 71,354 | 12,017 (16.8%) | 1,181 (±374) | 9.8% (±3.0) | 2,831 | 22 |
| Guadalupe | San Antonio | 65,424 | 16,257 (24.8%) | 1,605 (±348) | 9.9% (±2.1) | 3,108 | 18 |
| Texas | Statewide | 10,992,816 | 3,206,433 (29.2%) | 615,997 (±7,644) | 19.2% | 554,146 | 4,150 |
MOE = Census margin of error (90% confidence). Sources: ACS 2020–2024, Table C16002; TxDOT report 13 (2024).
- Nine DFW counties combined: 113,008 limited-English Spanish-speaking households (±3,147), 18.3% of the Texas total.
- Three San Antonio-area counties combined: 44,015 (±2,201), 7.1% of the Texas total.
City data
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| City | Households | Spanish-speaking households (share) | Limited-English Spanish-speaking households (±MOE) | Limited-English share (±MOE) | Reportable crashes in city, 2024 | Deaths, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 554,581 | 243,399 (43.9%) | 36,040 (±1,832) | 14.8% (±0.7) | 39,805 | 170 |
| Dallas | 533,915 | 155,475 (29.1%) | 38,419 (±1,760) | 24.7% (±1.1) | 26,109 | 227 |
| Fort Worth | 342,126 | 80,049 (23.4%) | 14,873 (±1,180) | 18.6% (±1.4) | 12,865 | 116 |
| Arlington | 142,455 | 33,116 (23.2%) | 7,166 (±590) | 21.6% (±1.6) | 5,317 | 38 |
| Irving | 94,845 | 32,011 (33.8%) | 8,231 (±856) | 25.7% (±2.5) | 4,187 | 14 |
| Garland | 81,954 | 28,291 (34.5%) | 5,999 (±778) | 21.2% (±2.6) | 3,195 | 17 |
| Grand Prairie | 68,406 | 24,131 (35.3%) | 4,056 (±558) | 16.8% (±2.2) | 2,983 | 23 |
| Mesquite | 50,171 | 16,391 (32.7%) | 3,111 (±490) | 19.0% (±2.8) | 1,609 | 12 |
| Carrollton | 51,995 | 12,081 (23.2%) | 2,706 (±481) | 22.4% (±3.7) | 2,632 | 9 |
| Lewisville | 51,915 | 10,084 (19.4%) | 1,821 (±423) | 18.1% (±4.0) | 2,435 | 8 |
| Duncanville | 13,215 | 4,080 (30.9%) | 389 (±165) | 9.5% (±3.9) | 848 | 4 |
Small cities have wide margins of error, so treat differences of a few points as uncertain. Sources: ACS C16002 (Census places); TxDOT report 14 (2024).
What this means for drivers
- Know the legal minimum. Texas requires at least $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage (30/60/25). (TDI Auto Insurance Guide)
- Read your policy in your language. TDI's guide is free in Spanish: Guía del seguro de auto. TDI's consumer helpline is 800-252-3439.
- Ask about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. It “pays if you're hit by someone who didn't have insurance or didn't have enough to pay your medical and car repair bills.” (TDI)
- Ask questions before you sign. A licensed agent should explain coverage, exclusions and payment dates in the language you're most comfortable with.
A-LA Auto Insurance is a Texas agency with 18 offices in Dallas–Fort Worth and 2 in San Antonio. We serve customers in English and Spanish. (TDI agency license #3107286)
Questions about your policy? Ask in English or Spanish.
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Methodology
Language data. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table C16002 (Household Language by Household Limited English Speaking Status). We downloaded it from the Census table-based Summary File (with the geography file) on October 3, 2026; the estimates were released in January 2026. “Spanish-speaking households” = C16002_E003. “Limited-English” = C16002_E004. The Census defines a limited-English-speaking household as one where no member 14 or older speaks only English or speaks English “very well.” ACS figures are survey estimates, so we publish the Census margin of error (90% confidence) with each count. Margins for percentages use the Census proportion formula.
Crash data. TxDOT Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics 2024, reports “Crashes and Injuries by County” and “Crashes and Injuries, Cities and Towns.” These cover reportable crashes from Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports (CR-3) processed as of April 9, 2025. TxDOT has published 2025 statewide totals (3,769 deaths, data as of April 7, 2026) but no 2025 county tables yet, so the county and city crash figures are 2024.
Uninsured rate. Insurance Research Council, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists: 2017–2023 (2025). The Texas figure (14.5%) is as reported in Triple-I's state table. IRC estimates are statewide.
Geography. “DFW” in this report means the nine counties listed in the table, not the official metropolitan area definition. City figures use Census “place” boundaries and TxDOT's city crash tables.
Limitations
- Overlap, not causation. This report does not show that language ability causes crashes or lapses in coverage. It shows where language-access needs and crash volume are both concentrated.
- No local uninsured estimates. We did not estimate county uninsured rates or the number of uninsured drivers in crashes. The 14.5% figure is a statewide estimate and is never applied to county crash counts.
- Survey uncertainty. ACS counts are estimates with margins of error. Small cities and counties have wide margins, so small differences between them may not be meaningful.
- Different vintages. Language data is a 2020–2024 five-year average; crash counts are for calendar year 2024.
How to cite this report
Short: “...according to an A-LA Auto Insurance analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.”
Full: A-LA Auto Insurance. Lost in the Fine Print: Texas's Insurance Language Gap, by County. October 3, 2026. https://alaautoinsurance.com/resources/texas-spanish-speaking-drivers-insurance-language-gap. Underlying data: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year, Table C16002; TxDOT Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics 2024.
You may republish the tables with credit and a link to this page. Media questions: admin@alaautoinsurance.com or (866) 252-6116.