ISSUE BRIEFING

MANY LANGUAGES,ONE AMERICA

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lntroduction

Throughout the history of the United States, many languages have risen to the rank of'most important foreign language to know.' A century ago, this title was bestowed onGerman. ln subsequent years, the spotlight moved to French, then Japanese, andtoday is cast on Spanish. Tomorrow, Arabic or Chinese might take center stage.

The United States has never been a land of just two languages. We have revolvedaround one central language-English-with many other languages contributing to themelting pot culture of the United States. The amount of linguistic diversity in our nationvaries between states, and even within states. Speakers of non-English languages,325 at last count, are not evenly distributed within the United States, leaving eachstate, county and metropolitan area with its own unique linguistic composition.

The scope of these differences illustrates the perilous nature of concentrating on asecond or third language when creating language policy. Linguistic diversity in Americaencompasses far more than what even the most ambitious translation efforts couldmeet. By encouraging all residents of the United States to learn English as a common,shared language, the doors to communication open to all and linguistic barriers arebroken down.

In 2005, the U.S. English Foundation published Many Languages, One America tohighlight the true degree of linguistic diversity within the United States. With an influx ofimmigration, rampant government multilingualism and new Census Bureau data, it isimportant to update this briefing with the most current language usage statistics.

Ihls rssue briefing is a condensed version of Many Languages, One America. The full version, availableonline, contains data for every state in the United Sfafes, including the District of Columbia. Thecomplete study can be accessed through the U.S. English Foundation website atwww. u sefo u n d at i o n. o rq.

325Languages

spoken

Counties with2Ao/o or more

LimitedEnglish

Proficient(LEP)

residents

243,Counties with10o/o or more

LimitedEnglish

Proficient(LEP)

residents

6{OCounties with5o/o Ol mOre

LimitedEnglish

Proficient(LEP)

residents

167Languages

with 1,000 ormore speakers

Speakers

UNTTED STATESPorpulation: 31 6, 1 28,839

Most Gommon Languages Spoken

Rank Language

1. English 225,488,7992. Spanish 34,183,6223. Chinese 1,554,5054. Tagalog 1,444,3245" French 1,304,7586. Vietnamese 1,204,4547 . German 1 ,1 19,9638. Korean 1,048,1739. Russian 846,23310. Arabic 760,50511. Portuguese 676,96312. Polish 632,36213. French Creole 621,13514. Hindi 531 ,31315. Japanese 457,03316. Cantonese 437,30117. Mandarin 381J2118. Persian 359,176'19. Greek 340,02820. Urdu 335,21321. Gujarati 301,65822. Hebrew 216,61523. Armenian 220,92224. Panjabi 208,38725. Bengali 190,09026. Hmong 185,40127. Mon-Khmer, Cambodian 182,38728. Telugu 171,49529. Navajo 170,82230. Yiddish 162,51131. Serbocroatian 152,33132. Laotian 147,86533. Romanian 146,84034. Amharic 146,33735. U kranian 142,71136. Thai 139,84537. Dutch 132J9138. Tamil 130,73'139. Albanian 125,22040. Pennsylvania Dutch 117,54741. Malayalam 112,37842. Turkish 107,40543. Hungarian 94,12544. Cushite 90,43445. lndia n.e.c. 81,82546. llocano 76,89647. Formosan 76,13148. Swahili 72,40449. Serbian 63,83350. Syriac 61,272

Number of Counties:3,144, :

Counties with Highest Rates ofLimited English Proficiency

Rank Countv LEP Rate1. Aleutians East Borough, AK 54.40o/o

2. Webb County, TX3. Maverick County, TX4. Starr County, TX5. Garza County, TX6. Zupata County, TX7. Santa Cruz County, AZ8. Miami Dade County, FL9. Hudspeth County, TX10. Hidalgo County, TX11. Presidio County, TX12. Yoakum County, TX13. Clark County, lD'14. lmperial County, CA15. Zavala County, TX16. El Paso County, TX17. Seward County, KS18. Cameron County, TX19. Franklin County, WA20. Dimmit County, TX21. Monterey County, CA22. Queens County, NY23. Concho County, TX24. Adams County, WAT25.Los Angeles County, CA 26.540/o

50.36%47.560/o46.23%42.07o/o38.53%35.34%34.93Yo33.74%32.89%32.26031.89%31.85%31.600/31.570/o30.78o/o30.60%29.67Yo29.15o/o29.13o/o

28.74o/o28.19Yo27.73%27.42%

30. Manassas Park City, VA 25.05%

T25.Reeves County, TX27. Hudson County, NJ28. Bronx County, NY29. Val Verde County, TX

31. La Salle County, TX32. Hendry County, FL33. Kings County, NY34. Colfax County, NE35. Parmer County

49. Orange County, CA50. Castro County, TX

26.54%25.58Yo25.39%25.24o/o

24.94%24.680/o24.270/o24.17%23.8704

36. Aleutians West Borough, AK 23.41%37. Ford County, KS 23.30%38. San Francisco County, CA 23.28Yo39. Merced County, CA40. Colusa County, CA41. Hardee County, FL42. Moore County, TX43. Tulare County, CA44. Yuma County, AZ45. Passaic County, NJ46. Texas County, OK47. Reagan County, TX48. Santa Clara County, CA 21.51%

23.18o/o22.91Yo22.68%22.600/o22.28o/o22.11%22.06%21.73%21.70o/o

21.300/o20.94%

Number of Languages Spoken in Each StateU.S. Total: 325 Languages

NH-84w-79

\

MA - 143

Rr -83cT - 108

NJ - 137

MD - 146

DC- 95

DE- 82

tf' )*(- tts I

" c', -?-

aa

""*'-=Y-/''i-'\,SJ

fi

o=o,> 105

Rank

1.

2.J.

4.5.T6.T6.8.9.T 10.T 10.12.T '13.

T 13.T 13.16.17.18.

T 19.T 19.21.T 22.T 22.24.T 25.T 25.

State

CaliforniaNew YorkTexasWashingtonFloridaPennsylvaniaArizonaMarylandMassachusettsMichiganGeorgialllinoisNew JerseyNorth CarolinaOregonVirginiaMissouriOklahomaColoradoOhioWisconsinMinnesotaUtahTennesseeAlaskalndiana

Lanquages

214174171167163153153146143142142141137137137136134132129129125124124118115115

State

NevadaNew MexicolowaKansas

AlabamaKentuckyldahoConnecticutNebraskaSouth CarolinaHawaiiLouisianaDistrict of ColumbiaArkansasMaineMississippiWest VirginiaNew HampshireRhode lslandDelawareMontanaSouth DakotaVermontNorth DakotaWyoming

Lanquaqes

11511511411211011010810810710610510095908786858483828180797862

Rank

r 25.T 25.29.30.T 31.T 31.T 33.T 33.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50.51.

nsz( !" (

"--1 )'"_

-,P 110

118r--{t\t\Ir ro )t\: _--

State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiildaholllinoislndianalowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode lslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Third

GermanYupikNavajoGermanTagalogGermanItalianFrenchFrenchFrench CreoleKoreanJapaneseGermanPolishGermanGermanGermanGermanFrenchSpanishFrenchPortugueseArabicHmongFrenchGermanGermanVietnameseTagalogSpanishItalianNavajoChineseFrenchSpanishGermanVietnameseRussianGermanPortugueseFrenchDakotaGermanVietnameseGermanSpanishKoreanVietnameseFrenchGermanGerman

Fourth

FrenchTagalogGermanVietnameseChineseVietnamesePortugueseChineseAmharicFrenchVietnamesellocanoFrenchTagalogPennsylvania DutchVietnameseVietnameseFrenchVietnameseGermanChineseFrenchGermanCushiteChoctawFrenchCrowGermanChinesePortuguesePortugueseKeresItalianGermanNorwegianFrenchGermanVietnameseItalianFrenchGermanGermanFrenchChineseNavajoGermanVietnameseKoreanGermanHmongFrench

Fifth

VietnameselnupikVietnameseFrenchVietnameseFrenchPolishGermanGermanPortugueseFrenchSpanishRussianChineseFrenchSerbocroatianChineseSerbocroatianCajunCushiteKoreanChineseFrenchGermanVietnameseSerbocroatianFrenchFrenchGermanGermanTagalogZuniRussianChineseSerbocroatianArabicChineseGermanChineseItalianTagalogVietnameseArabicGermanFrenchSerbocroatianTagalogTagalogItalianFrenchArapaho

MostCommonEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglish

Second

SpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishTagalogSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishFrenchSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishFrenchSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishGermanSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishFrenchSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanish

FINDINGS......'..],'''ManyLanguages;oneAmeriCa..........

Census data shows that in several counties nationwide, English is not the most common languagespoken at home. ln 2005, Census data showed 26 counties in Texas, as well as six in New Mexico,two in Arizona and one in Alaska, California, Colorado and Florida, made this list.

According to the 2010 Census, there are still a total of 38 counties where English is not the mostcommon language spoken. Seward County (KS), Bronx County (NY), Deaf Smith County (TX), GazaCounty (TX), Reagan County (TX), Sutton County (TX) and Yoakum County (TX) were all added to thelatest count. Meanwhile, Costilla County (CO), Dona Ana County (NM), McKinley County (NM),Kenedy County (TX), Kleberg County (TX), Terrell County (TX) and Willacy County (TX), all on the listin 2000, have since been removed.

County. State

Bethel Borough, AKApache County, AZSanta Cruz County, AZlmperial County, CAMiami-Dade County, FLSeward County, KSGuadalupe County, NMMora County, NMRio Arriba County, NMSan Miguel County, NMBronx County, NYBrooks County, TXCameron County, TXCulberson County, TXDeaf Smith County, TXDimmit County, TXDuval County, TXEl Paso County, TXFrio County, TXGarza County, TXHidalgo County, TXHudspeth County, fXJim Hogg County, TXJim Wells County, TXLa Salle County, TXMaverick County, TXPecos County, TXPresidio County, TXReagan County, TXReeves County, TXStarr County, TXSutton County, TXUvalde County, TXValVerde County, TXWebb County, TXYoakum County, TXZapata County, TXZavala County, TX

Most Common

SpanishNavajoSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanishSpanish

Percent Second

65%53%78o/o

72o/o

64o/o

51o/o

52o/o

57o/o

54o/o

55o/o

460/o

68o/o

72%630/o

51%72%66%72%60%50%84%79o/o

81%52o/o

630/o

93%53o/o

85%51o/o

630/o

95o/o

50.20/o

53%72%91%49o/o

87o/o

77o/o

EnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglishEnglish

Percent

33o/o

42%22%260/o

28%45o/o

46%42o/o

38o/o

42o/o

43o/o

31o/o

27o/o

36%48o/o

27o/o

33%26%39o/o

48%15%20%18o/o

48o/o

37o/o

60/o

460/o

13o/o

49o/o

360/o

5o/o

49.7o/o

460/o

27o/o

8o/o

48o/o

13o/o

23o/o

According to the Census Bureau's 2011 American Community Survey, 60.6 millionpeople speak a language other than English at home, accounting for 21% of thepopulation of United States residents aged 5 and older.

Between 1980 and 2010, there was a population growth of 38o/o, yet the number ofpeople who spoke a language other than English at home grew by 158oh, from 23.1million in 1980 to 59.5 million in 20'10.

Of the nation's foreign language speakers, a large majority (37.6 million) spokeSpanish. The number of people speaking Spanish at home grew from 12.0o/o in 2005 to12.9% in 2011.

Compared to people who spoke other foreign languages, Spanish speakers were lesslikely to speak English 'very well,'with 56% falling into that category versus 610/o ofspeakers of other foreign languages.

ln 2011, six languages other than English and Spanish were spoken at home by morethan 1 million people. Chinese (spoken by 2.9 million people), Tagalog (1.6 million),Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), German (1.1 million) and Korean (1.1million).

More than 80% of French and German speakers spoke English 'very well,'while lessthan 50% of Korean, Chinese or Vietnamese speakers could speak English 'very well.'

Between 2000 and 2011, speakers of 'other Asian languages' such as Malayalam,Telugu and Tamil, grew by 1 15%. Speakers of 'African languages' like Amharic, lbo,Yoruba and Swahili grew by 1 1 1%, while speakers of Hindi grew by 105%.

Between 2000 and 201'1, several languages saw declines in the number of speakers.Italian was spokenby 28o/o fewer people, and French, Hungarian and Germanspeakers declined by about 20oh.

lmmigrants arriving to the United States prior to 1980 had a non-English proficiencyrate of 6%, compared to 13o/o of immigrants who arrived in the United States after theyear 2000.

ln 2012, half of the foreign-born population of the United States spoke English lessthan 'very well,'while 10% spoke English 'not at all.'

The states with the highest proportions of foreign-born residents who speak a languageother than English at home are Texas (91%), California (90%) and lllinois (90%).

The highest rate of English proficiency among the nation's immigrants is in Maine,where 74o/o of the state's foreign-born speak English 'very well.' The lowest rates ofEnglish proficiency among immigrants can be found in Texas and Nebraska, whereonly 41% of foreign-born residents speak English 'very well.'

Metropolitan areas like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago had large proportions ofpeople who speak a foreign language at home. Areas in the Midwest (with theexception of lllinois) had low levels of foreign language speakers compared to areas inthe west, south and northeast.

ln 57 metropolitan areas, more than a quarter of residents spoke a language other thanEnglish at home. A majority (22) of these areas were in California, and 12 were inTexas.

The highest percentage of foreign language speakers by metropolitan area wasLaredo, Texas, where 92% of residents spoke a language other than English at home.

ln 38 states, more than 100 languages are spoken. The only states with fewer than '100

languages spoken are Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, NewHampshire, North Dakota, Rhode lsland, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia andWyoming.

The states with the most counties where 20o/o or more of residents are consideredlimited English proficient are Texas (25 counties) and California (10 counties).

Fifteen states have more than 50 languages that are spoken by more than 1,000residents. These include California (91 languages), New York (84), Florida (65), lllinois(65), Texas (65), New Jersey (62), Michigan (59), Washington (59), Massachusetts(58), Ohio (58), Maryland (57), Pennsylvania (57), Virginia (57), Georgia (52) andArizona (50).

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia are the only states whose rankingof counties with the highest rates of limited English proficiency all fell below 5%.

** NOTE: Percentages are rounded to the nearest hundredth. ln addition to the 2011 Census Bureau AmericanCommunity Survey, additional sources were used to compile this briefing's nationwide language trends,including:

. "English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2012," by Christine P.Gambino, Yesenia D. Acostaand Elizabeth M. Grieco. U.S. Census Bureau. June2014.

. "Half of foreign born Utahns speak English 'very well,"' by Lee Davidson. The Salt Lake Tribune. June10,2014. http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/oages/printerfriendly.csp?id=58050987.

. "Language Use in the United States: 2011,' by Camille Ryan. U.S. Census Bureau. August 2013.

. "New Census Bureau lnteractive Map Shows Languages Spoken in America." U.S. Census Bureau.August6,2013. http://www.census.qov/newsroom/releases/archives/education/cb13-143.htm1.

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