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Language Use

Language Use

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Within Language Use

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Language Use

Most people in the United States speak English and most governmental functions are in English. The bureau collects data on language use to know what languages to use, and where, to get information to people about public health, voting, and safety.

News

Press Release

New Data on Detailed Languages Spoken

June 03, 2025

This release provides data on over 500 individual languages and language groups spoken across the country during the five-year period from 2017 to 2021.
Press Release

Census Bureau Releases 2023 CRE and Natural Hazard Risk Ranking Tables

January 30, 2025

The U.S. Census Bureau today released the 2023 Community Resilience Estimates (CRE), which highlight socially vulnerable areas in the United States.
Press Release

Acceso restringido a las estimaciones de 5 años de la ACS, 2019-2023

December 05, 2024

La Oficina del Censo dará acceso restringido a las estimaciones de 5 años, 2019-2023, de la Encuesta sobre la Comunidad Estadounidense

Publications

Publication

The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2022

April 09, 2024

This report provides an overview of the foreign-born population residing in the United States, highlighting select demographic and socioeconomic characteristics
Publication

Language Use in the United States: 2019

September 01, 2022

This report presents data on languages spoken in the United States by people 5 years old and over based on the 1-year 2019 American Community Survey (ACS).
Publication

Developing Public-Facing Language Products

November 03, 2021

This guide shares detailed information about the best practices implemented for the 2020 Census by the Census Bureau.

Data

Table

Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2017-2021

June 2025

The ACS 2017-2021 multi-year data are used to list all languages spoken in the United States that were reported during the sample period.
Table

Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2000

April 01, 2004

Source: Census 2000 Special Tabulation 224
Table

Language Spoken at Home for the Citizen Population: 2000

January 01, 2004

Source: Census 2000 Special Tabulation 194.

Working Papers

Working Paper

Which American Languages are Dying?

April 10, 2019

This paper uses ACS data to quantify the vulnerability of endangered indigenous American languages.
Working Paper

Household and Community Characteristics and Children's Acculturation

April 09, 2019

The American Community Survey is used to explore the associations of household and community characteristics with children’s linguistic acculturation.
Working Paper

Policy and Evaluation of the US Census Bureau’s Statistics on Language

April 02, 2018

This article examines how and why the U.S. Census Bureau asks about language.

All Subtopics Within 'Population'

Age and Sex

Focusing on a population’s age and sex composition is one of the most basic ways to understand population change over time.
Ancestry

Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, "roots," or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors.
Children

All Census Bureau demographic surveys collect information about children. The information collected varies.
Computer and Internet Use

The U.S. Census Bureau has been collecting data on computers and Internet use sporadically since 1984.
Foreign-Born

The foreign-born population includes anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth, including those who have become U.S. citizens through naturalization.
Hispanic Origin

People who identify with the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories.
International

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts demographic, economic, and geographic studies of other countries and strengthens statistical development around the world.
Language Use

Language use, English-speaking ability, and linguistic isolation data are collected in the ACS.
Migration/Geographic Mobility

Migration and geographic mobility both refer to the movement of people within and across boundaries, such as county or state lines.
Older Population and Aging

Detailed information and statistics on population older population and aging.
Population Estimates

Annual estimates for the U.S., states, counties, cities, etc. Components of population change (births, deaths and migration) for U.S., states and counties.
Population Projections

The Population Projections Program produces population estimates for future dates. Projections include assumptions about future births, deaths, and migration.
Race

The data on race and ethnicity were derived from answers to the question on race and ethnicity that was asked of individuals in the United States.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity

The concept of racial and ethnic diversity refers to the representation and relative size of different racial and ethnic groups within a population.
Veterans

The U.S. Census Bureau currently collects data on veterans of the Armed Forces using the ACS, CPS, and SIPP.