U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born 

Population in the United States: 2012

American Community Survey Reports

By Christine P. Gambino, Yesenia D. Acosta,

and Elizabeth M. Grieco

June 2014

ACS-26

INTRODUCTION 

English-speaking ability is an important topic surrounding immigration in the United States. For the foreign 

born, fluency in English is associated with greater 

earnings and occupational mobility.1, 2 Conversely, the 

presence of many people with limited English ability 

requires state and local governments to make costly 

adjustments, such as providing English as a Second 

Language classes in schools and translating official 

forms into multiple languages.3, 4, 5

English is not the native language of most immigrants 

in the United States. However, many do arrive knowing 

how to speak English, especially from countries where 

English is widely used. These include not only countries such as Canada, Jamaica, and the United Kingdom, 

where English is the primary language, but also countries where English is an official language, such as 

India, Nigeria, and the Philippines.6 Many others learn 

English through years of study or practice prior to 

immigrating to the United States or while living in the 

United States. 

1 Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix. “A Profile of Limited 

English Proficient Adult Immigrants,” Peabody Journal of Education,

2010. 85(4): 511–534. 2 Sherrie A. Kossoudji. “English Language Ability and the Labor Market Opportunities of Hispanic and East Asian Immigrant Men,” Journal 

of Labor Economics, 1988. 6(2): 205–228. 3 Arlene Ortiz and Shirley Woika. “Teaching to the Letter of the Law,” 

Language Magazine, July 2013. Accessed April 29, 2014, 

<http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=6787>. 4 Bruce A. Evans and Nancy H. Hornberger. “No Child Left Behind: 

Repealing and Unpeeling Federal Language Education Policy in the 

United States,” Language Policy, 2005, 4: 87–106. 5 Fernanda Santos. “Mayor Orders New York to Expand 

Language Help,” New York Times, July 23, 2008. Accessed April 29, 

2014, <www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/nyregion/23translate.html>. 6 Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2013-14. Field 

Listing: Languages. Washington, DC. 2013. Accessed April 29, 2014, 

<www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields

/print_2098.html>.

WHO ARE THE FOREIGN BORN?

The U.S. Census Bureau uses the term foreign born to 

refer to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. This 

includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent 

residents (immigrants), temporary migrants (such as 

foreign students), humanitarian migrants (such as 

refugees and asylees), and persons illegally present 

in the United States. The terms native and native 

born refer to anyone born in the United States, 

Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area (e.g., Guam), or 

abroad of a U.S. citizen parent or parents. 

There is considerable diversity in English use and 

English-speaking ability among the foreign born. 

Research has shown that educational level plays a part, 

as those foreign born who have a bachelor’s degree or 

higher are more likely to have higher English-speaking 

ability than those with less than a high school education.7, 8 English-speaking characteristics are also 

related to time spent living in the United States.9 Many 

foreign-born individuals with long periods of residence 

in the United States speak English well. However, some 

have limited English-speaking ability or may not speak 

English at all, even after residing in the United States 

for many years. 

Using data from the 2012 American Community Survey 

(ACS), this report examines English use at home and 

7 Julia Beckhusen, Raymond J.G.M. Florax, Thomas de Graaff, 

Jacques Poot, and Brigitte Waldorf. “Living and Working in Ethnic 

Enclaves: Language Proficiency of Immigrants in U.S. Metropolitan 

Areas,” Papers in Regional Science, 2013. 92(2): 305–328. 8 Edith K. McArthur. Language Characteristics and Schooling in the 

United States, A Changing Picture: 1979 and 1989. National 

Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office. 1993. 9 Calvin Veltman. “Modelling the Language Shift Process of Hispanic 

Immigrants,” International Migration Review, 1988. 22(4): 545–562.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

English-speaking ability among the 

foreign born, focusing on the relationships between English-speaking 

ability and place of birth, level of 

education, and years spent living 

in the United States. While previous American Community Survey 

reports include both the native 

and foreign born, this report will 

focus on English language use and 

English-speaking ability 

among only the foreign-born 

population.10, 11

Language Data From the 

American Community Survey

Data on English-speaking ability 

and language spoken at home are 

collected and tabulated annually in 

the ACS for all people aged 5 and 

older.12 Based on self-assessment, 

ACS data about English-speaking 

ability represent the respondent’s 

perception about his or her own 

ability, or the responses may reflect 

the perception of a household 

member who answered the ACS 

questions for the entire household. 

The ACS does not provide data on 

English-speaking ability for those 

who speak only English at home. 

Data on English use and Englishspeaking ability are classified into 

one of five categories: 1) spoke 

only English at home, or spoke 

a language other than English at 

home and spoke English, 2) “very 

well,” 3) “well,” 4) “not well,” or 5) 

“not at all.” 

10 Camille Ryan. Language Use 

in the United States: 2011. American 

Community Survey Reports, ACS-22. 

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. 2013. 11 Hyon B. Shin and Robert A. Kominski. 

Language Use in the United States: 2007.

American Community Survey Reports, ACS12. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. 

2010. 12 The language questions on the 2012 

ACS mail questionnaire can be found on page 

8, question 14 of the English and Spanish 

language versions at <www.census.gov/acs

/www/methodology/questionnaire_archive/>.

As part of the 2012 ACS data collection, each household member 

was asked: “Does this person speak 

a language other than English at 

home?” If “yes,” then two followup questions were asked: “What is 

this language?” and “How well does 

this person speak English? (Very 

well, well, not well, or not at all).” 

If “no,” then the specific language 

and English-speaking ability questions were skipped. People who 

spoke languages other than English 

but did not use them at home 

were excluded from the follow-up 

questions. 

FINDINGS

The proportion of foreign 

born who spoke a language 

other than English at home has 

increased since 1980.

The size of the foreign-born population has increased over the last 

three decades, from 14.1 million 

in 1980 to 40.0 million in 2010. In 

2012, the foreign born numbered 

40.8 million, including 40.6 million 

aged 5 years and over.

The proportion of the foreignborn population who spoke a 

language other than English at 

home also increased during this 

period. In 1980, 70 percent of the 

foreign-born population aged 5 

and older spoke a language other 

than English at home, rising to 85 

percent in 2010 (Figure 1). In 2012, 

the proportion remained at 85 

percent.

Figure 1. 

Percentage of the Foreign-Born Population Who 

Spoke a Language Other Than English at Home: 

1980 to 2012

(Foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Data based on sample. For 

information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, 

and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1980 to 2000 Decennial Censuses and the 2010 and 

2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

1980 1990 2000 2010 2012

70.2

79.1

83.0 84.7 84.6
U.S. Census Bureau 3

About half of the foreign-born 

population reported having 

high English-speaking ability.

Nationwide, among the nearly 41 

million foreign born aged 5 and 

older, about 6 million spoke only 

English at home (Table 1). Foreign 

born who spoke only English at 

home, or who spoke another language at home and spoke English 

“very well,” are considered to have 

high English-speaking ability.13

When combined, about half of the 

13 Robert Kominski. How Good is “How 

Well?” An Examination of the Census EnglishSpeaking Ability Question. Presented at the 

1989 Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, Washington, DC. August 

6–11, 1989.

foreign-born population had high 

English-speaking ability in 2012. 

This includes 15 percent who 

spoke only English at home and 

over one-third (35 percent) of the 

foreign-born population who spoke 

a non-English language at home 

and also spoke English “very well.” 

Those who do not have high 

English-speaking ability are often 

grouped together as having limited, or less than “very well,” 

English-speaking ability.14, 15 Half 

of the foreign-born population 

spoke English less than “very well” 

in 2012 (50 percent), about the 

same proportion as in the 2010 

American Community Survey (52 

percent) and the 2000 Census (51 

percent).16 In 2012, this included 

21 percent of the foreign born who 

spoke English “well,” 19 percent 

who spoke English “not well,” and 

10 percent who spoke English “not 

at all.” 

About nine in ten foreign 

born spoke a language other 

than English at home in Texas, 

California, and Illinois.

Nationwide, 85 percent of the 

foreign-born population spoke a 

language other than English at 

home, but this proportion varied 

widely by state (Table 2). There 

were six states where the percent 

of the foreign-born population who 

spoke a non-English language at 

home was significantly higher than 

the national percentage: Texas, 

California, Illinois, Nebraska, New 

14 McArthur, op. cit. 

15 U.S. Census Bureau. Profile of Selected 

Demographic and Social Characteristics for 

the Foreign-Born Population: 2000. Census 

2000 Special Tabulations (STP-159). 2005. 

Accessed April 29, 2014, <www.census.gov

/population/foreign/files/stp-159

/foreignborn.pdf>. 16 The percentages of the foreign-born 

population who spoke English less than “very 

well” from the 2000 Census, 2010 ACS, and 

2012 ACS are all statistically different from 

one another.

Table 1.

Language Spoken at Home by English-Speaking Ability of 

the Foreign-Born Population: 2012

(Foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Numbers in thousands. Data based on 

sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling 

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Language at home and English-speaking 

ability Estimate

Margin of 

error (±)1 Percent

Margin of 

error (±)1

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,589 110 100.0 X

Spoke only English at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,232 43 15.4 0.1

Spoke a language other than English at home 

and English-speaking ability

Very well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,017 76 34.5 0.2

Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,601 55 21.2 0.1

Not well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,838 52 19.3 0.1

Not at all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,901 43 9.6 0.1

X Not applicable. 1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure 

of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error is in relation to the size of the estimate, the less 

reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 

percent confidence interval.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2. 

Language Spoken at Home by English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population by 

State: 2012

(Foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Numbers in thousands. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Geography

Foreign born

Spoke a language other than English at home

Total Spoke English less than “very 

well”1

Number

Margin of error 

(±)2

Percent of 

foreign born

Margin of error 

(±)2

Percent of 

foreign born

Margin of error 

(±)2

 United States . . . . . . . . . . . 40,589 110 84.6 0.1 50.1 0.2

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 6 77.8 2.1 47.2 2.7

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 4 85.2 2.7 41.2 3.7

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 871 17 84.2 0.8 49.9 1.0

Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 5 81.8 2.1 51.9 2.8

California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,264 51 90.4 0.2 56.7 0.3

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 13 83.5 1.0 47.7 1.4

Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493 13 77.8 1.1 41.2 1.2

Delaware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 5 78.6 3.5 37.3 3.5

District of Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 5 70.1 3.5 32.5 3.5

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,730 32 81.0 0.4 46.9 0.5

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 933 17 82.0 1.1 46.1 1.1

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 10 84.4 1.4 53.0 1.9

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 6 80.2 2.5 49.2 2.5

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,780 21 89.8 0.5 52.1 0.8

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 9 82.7 1.4 47.2 1.8

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 6 80.1 1.9 46.8 2.4

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 6 85.5 1.5 51.6 1.9

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 6 78.8 2.3 44.7 2.7

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 7 82.2 1.9 47.8 2.3

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 3 58.6 3.7 26.4 3.6

Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833 15 78.3 1.0 37.4 1.2

Massachusetts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989 16 82.0 0.7 44.9 0.9

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 11 78.7 0.7 40.3 1.1

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 10 81.7 1.2 43.6 1.5

Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 5 78.3 3.4 41.2 4.1

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 7 80.3 1.6 40.8 2.0

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2 49.4 5.7 21.8 4.5

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 4 88.9 1.4 58.9 2.3

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 10 88.0 0.9 50.7 1.3

New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 4 66.9 3.6 31.2 3.9

New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,871 22 84.8 0.6 46.4 0.8

New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 8 88.9 1.3 53.4 2.1

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,402 25 75.8 0.4 46.6 0.4

North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742 15 82.9 0.8 49.5 1.1

North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3 76.8 4.8 37.3 6.8

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 11 77.6 1.1 37.2 1.3

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 6 84.8 1.2 53.9 1.7

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 10 82.1 1.2 48.1 1.8

Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763 16 77.4 1.0 41.7 1.1

Rhode Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 6 82.2 1.7 49.4 2.4

South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 8 78.7 1.7 44.6 1.9

South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3 78.8 5.4 53.1 6.6

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 9 82.0 1.4 45.4 2.0

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,247 39 91.3 0.3 58.8 0.5

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 8 83.4 1.3 48.4 1.9

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2 61.7 4.7 23.8 3.7

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941 15 84.0 0.7 40.3 1.1

Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 909 16 83.3 0.7 46.2 0.9

West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2 63.4 4.9 25.2 4.8

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 8 81.8 1.3 44.4 1.7

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2 76.3 5.8 38.4 6.0

1

 The classification of less than “very well” includes respondents who spoke a language other than English at home and reported speaking English “well,” “not 

well,” or “not at all.” 2

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error 

is in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent 

confidence interval.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Mexico, and Nevada (Figure 2). 

Among the states with the highest 

proportions were Texas (91 percent), California, and Illinois (each 

90 percent).17,18 Texas, California, 

and Illinois were also among the 

states with the largest number of 

foreign born. In 2012, about 40 

percent of the nation’s foreign-born 

population aged 5 and older lived 

in these three states. 

17 The percentage for Illinois was not significantly different from those for Nebraska 

and New Mexico. The percentages for 

California and Illinois were significantly 

different. 18 Note that most foreign born who spoke 

a language other than English at home also 

spoke English with some level of ability.

The proportion of the foreignborn population who spoke 

English less than “very well” 

was significantly higher than 

the national average in seven 

states. 

Figure 3 is a state map of the percentage of the foreign-born population who spoke English less than 

“very well,” showing whether each 

state’s proportion was statistically 

higher, lower, or not significantly 

different from the proportion of 

the nation as a whole. In most 

states and the District of Columbia 

(a state equivalent), the proportion of the foreign-born population 

who spoke English less than “very 

well” was significantly lower than 

the national level of 50 percent. 

However, this proportion was significantly higher than the national 

percent in seven states: California, 

Hawaii, Illinois, Nebraska, New 

Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Five 

of these states were also among 

the states with the highest percentages of foreign born who spoke 

a language other than English at 

home: California, Illinois, Nebraska, 

New Mexico, and Texas. Among the 

states with the highest proportions 

of foreign born who spoke English 

less than “very well” were Nebraska 

and Texas (each 59 percent) and 

California (57 percent).19

19 The percentage for Nebraska was not 

significantly different from those for Texas 

and California.

Nevada

New Mexico

Nebraska

Illinois

California

Texas

United States

Figure 2. 

Percentage of the Foreign-Born Population Who Spoke a Language Other Than 

English at Home for Selected States: 2012

(Foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates. 

84.6

91.3

88.9

89.8

90.4

88.0

88.9
6 U.S. Census Bureau

Among states (including the 

District of Columbia) with foreignborn populations greater than 

50,000, New Hampshire and the 

District of Columbia had among the 

lowest proportions of foreign born 

who spoke English less than “very 

well” (31 percent and 32 percent, 

respectively), and they also had the 

lowest proportions of foreign born 

who spoke a non-English language 

at home (67 percent and 70 percent, respectively).20

English-speaking ability 

differed among the world 

region-of-birth groups. 

Among the foreign born from 

Asia and Latin America and the 

20 New Hampshire and the District of 

Columbia were not significantly different from 

each other for percent who spoke a language 

other than English at home or for percent 

who spoke English less than “very well.” The 

District of Columbia was not significantly different from Delaware for percent who spoke 

English less than “very well.”

Caribbean, about 11 percent spoke 

only English at home compared 

with 21 percent of the foreign 

born from Africa and 33 percent 

of the foreign born from Europe 

(Figure 4). The foreign-born population from “Other regions,” which 

is dominated by immigrants from 

Canada and Australia, had the highest proportion (72 percent) who 

spoke only English at home. 

About 61 percent of the foreign 

born from Latin America and the 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

DC

DE

RI

TX

CA

MT

AZ

ID

NV

KS

CO

NM

OR

UT

SD

IL

WY

NE

IA

FL

MN

OK

ND

WI

WA

AL GA

MO

PA

AR

LA

NC

MS

NY

IN

MI

VA

TN

KY

SC

OH

ME

WV

VT

NJ

MD

NH

MA

CT

AK

HI

Foreign-Born Population Aged 5 and Older

Who Spoke English Less Than “Very Well:” 2012

Figure 3.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1–year estimates.

Note: Less than “very well” includes those who 

spoke English: “well,” “not well,” and “not at all.”

0 100 Miles

0 100 Miles

0 500 Miles

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, 

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

U.S. percent is 50.1

State percentage 

compared to 

U.S. percentage

Significantly higher

Not significantly different

Significantly lower
U.S. Census Bureau 7

Figure 4. 

Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born

Population by World Region of Birth: 2012

(Percentage distribution of the foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Data based on sample. For information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Note: Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding. Other regions includes Northern America, Oceania, and born at sea.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

Latin America and Other regions

the Caribbean

Total Africa Asia Europe

Spoke another language at home and English-speaking ability

15

2

10

21

43

19 21

35

8

20

49

5

16

25

11

2

9

17

39

33

11

28

21

25

15

72

19

5 2 0

40,589 1,702 11,834 4,788 21,225 1,040

Population (in thousands)

Only English at home Very well Well Not well Not at all

Caribbean spoke English less than 

“very well.” The foreign born from 

Latin America and the Caribbean 

were also the most likely of all 

region-of-birth groups to speak 

English “not at all” (15 percent).

English-speaking ability also 

differed by country of birth. 

The variation in English use and 

speaking ability seen among the 

region-of-birth groups was also evident among the foreign born from 

different countries. The percentage 

distribution of English spoken at 

home and English-speaking ability for those speaking a language 

other than English at home is 

shown in Figure 5 for residents 

from countries with populations 

of 500,000 or more living in the 

United States, and in Appendix A 

for residents from countries with 

populations of 100,000 or more 

living in the United States. 

The foreign-born populations born 

in Canada, Germany, Jamaica, and 

the United Kingdom were made up 

almost entirely of those with high 

English-speaking ability. The majority of the foreign born from India 

and the Philippines, where English 

is widely used as an official language, had high English-speaking 

ability (74 percent and 70 percent, 

respectively).

Several countries with large resident populations in the United 

States, including Mexico (11.5 million), China (2.3 million), 
8 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 5.

Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born

Population by Country of Birth: 2012

(Percentage distribution of the foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Countries of birth are shown only for those 

countries with over 500,000 people living in the United States. Countries are ordered by percent speaking only English 

at home. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www)

Note: Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding. Total includes all countries of birth. Responses of: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Paracel

Islands, and Taiwan represent China; Korea, South Korea, and North Korea represent Korea; and United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales,

Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, and Isle of Man represent the United Kingdom. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

Total Jamaica United Kingdom Canada Germany Korea

Philippines India China Haiti Vietnam Guatemala

Colombia Cuba Honduras El Salvador Mexico Dominican Republic

15

35

10

19 21

8

0

90 92

1

7

0 1 0 0 1 0 3

16

79

16

1

8

47 44

30 26 24

4 0

14

65

9

1

6

23

56

9

2 6

17

7

11

21

30 28

6 7

18

29

39

7 9

29 30

26

18

31

2222

3

30 28

18

29

22

27

3 5

26 24 21

31

15 17

29

21

26

19

5

1919

33

6

24

8

26

41

6

18

Spoke another language at home and English-speaking ability

1,861 1,944 2,280 603 1,255 852

40,589 678 676 795 589 1,075

Population (in thousands)

Population (in thousands)

675 1,110 520 1,267 11,520 950

Population (in thousands)

Only English at home Very well Well Not well Not at all
U.S. Census Bureau 9

Figure 6. 

Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born

Population by Educational Attainment: 2012

(Percentage distribution of the foreign-born population aged 25 and older. Data based on sample. For information 

on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/) 

Note: Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

Spoke another language at home and English-speaking ability

Bachelor's degree

or higher

Associate's degree

Some college

High school

graduate or

equivalent

Less than

high school

Total 15.4 31.8 21.6 20.8 10.4

24.3

36.5 25.0

24.3 12.0

25.8 8.1

11.2

39.9

22.6

52.8 19.0 6.8

22.0 41.8

20.9

26.0

19.7

20.1

15.9

7.2 11.6

1.4

2.4

2.8

Only English at home Very well Well Not well Not at all

El Salvador and Vietnam (1.3 million each), and Cuba and Korea (1.1 

million each) were more likely to 

have lower English-speaking ability. 

Among the foreign-born populations from each of these countries, 

over half spoke English less than 

“very well.”

This was also true for many 

countries with resident populations of between 500,000 and 1 

million people living the United 

States: Haiti, Guatemala, Colombia, 

Honduras, and the Dominican 

Republic.

At higher levels of educational 

attainment, the foreign born 

were more likely to have 

higher English-speaking 

ability. 

The majority of the foreign born 

who were college graduates had 

high English-speaking ability. 

About three-fourths (73 percent) 

of the foreign born with a bachelor’s degree or higher spoke 

only English at home or spoke 

another language at home and 

spoke English “very well” (Figure 

6). However, as the level of educational attainment declines, so does 

the proportion with high Englishspeaking ability: 64 percent with an 

associate’s degree, 61 percent with 

some college, 42 percent with a 

high school diploma or equivalent, 

and 19 percent with less than a 

high school education spoke only 

English at home or spoke English 

“very well.”

Among the foreign born who 

had completed some college or 

more, the proportion speaking 

only English at home was about 

the same at all educational attainment levels. About one out of five 

foreign born who had completed 

some college (21 percent), an 

associate’s degree (22 percent), 

or a bachelor’s degree or higher 

(20 percent) spoke only English 

at home. However, the proportion 

who spoke another language at 
10 U.S. Census Bureau

2000 or later

1990 to 1999

1980 to 1989

Prior to 1980

Total

Figure 7. 

Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born

Population by Period of Entry: 2012

(Percentage distribution of the foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Data based on sample. For information 

on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/) 

Note: Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

15.4 34.5 21.2 19.3 9.6

19.3

13.7 5.8

22.5 7.7

20.5 9.0

32.9 21.3 12.9

12.0 36.6

34.9

18.0

11.3

15.5

27.8 34.7

21.9

21.7

Only English at home Very well Well Not well Not at all

Spoke another language at home and English-speaking ability

home and spoke English “very well” 

was larger at higher levels of educational attainment for the foreign 

born who had completed at least 

some college: 40 percent for those 

with some college, 42 percent for 

those with an associate’s degree, 

and 53 percent for those with a 

bachelor’s degree or higher.

The foreign born who had less 

than a high school education 

were more likely to speak 

English “not well” or “not at 

all.” 

Among the foreign born with less 

than a high school education, over 

one-third (36 percent) reported 

speaking a non-English language 

at home and speaking English 

“not well,” with an additional onefourth (25 percent) who spoke 

English “not at all” (Figure 6). When 

compared with other educational 

attainment groups, the foreign 

born with less than a high school 

degree had the lowest proportion 

who spoke only English at home (7 

percent) and the lowest proportion 

who spoke English “very well” (12 

percent).

Those who came to live in the 

United States more than 30 

years ago were the most likely 

to speak only English at home.

The foreign born who have lived 

in the United States for longer 

periods were much more likely 

to speak only English at home 

than recent entrants to the country (Figure 7). Among the foreign 

born who entered in 2000 or later, 

11 percent spoke only English at 

home, compared with 28 percent 

of the foreign born who entered 

before 1980. When the population 

speaking only English at home is 

combined with those who spoke 

English “very well,” 44 percent of 

the foreign born who arrived in 

2000 or later had high Englishspeaking ability, compared with 63 

percent of those who arrived prior 

to 1980. 

In addition, recent entrants were 

also more likely to speak English 

“not at all.” About 13 percent of the 

foreign born who came to live in 

the United States in 2000 or later 

spoke English “not at all,” compared with about 6 percent of those 

who arrived prior to 1980.
U.S. Census Bureau 11

Figure 8. 

Percent of the Foreign-Born Population With High English-Speaking Ability by 

Period of Entry, World Region of Birth, and Educational Attainment: 2012

(Foreign-born population aged 25 and older. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection,

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Note: High English-speaking ability refers to those who spoke only English at home or who spoke another language at home and spoke

English "very well."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

0

20

40

60

80

100

2007 or

later

2002 to

2006

1997 to

2001

1992 to

1996

1987 to

1991

Prior to

1987

0

20

40

60

80

100

2007 or

later

2002 to

2006

1997 to

2001

1992 to

1996

1987 to

1991

Prior to

1987

0

20

40

60

80

100

2007 or

later

2002 to

2006

1997 to

2001

1992 to

1996

1987 to

1991

Prior to

1987

0

20

40

60

80

100

2007 or

later

2002 to

2006

1997 to

2001

1992 to

1996

1987 to

1991

Prior to

1987

0

20

40

60

80

100

2007 or

later

2002 to

2006

1997 to

2001

1992 to

1996

1987 to

1991

Prior to

1987

High school graduate or higher Less than high school

Total foreign-born population

Africa Asia

Europe Latin America and the Caribbean

Percent

Percent Percent

Percent Percent
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Among different world regions 

of birth for the foreign born, 

English-speaking ability was 

higher for those who have 

been in the United States 

longer and have higher 

educational attainment.

In general, the foreign born who 

entered the United States a long 

time ago speak English better than 

those who entered recently, and 

the foreign born who have a high 

school education or higher speak 

English better than those with less 

than a high school education. This 

pattern of English-speaking ability 

remains when time in the United 

States, world region of birth, and 

educational attainment are considered together. Figure 8 shows the 

percentage that had high Englishspeaking ability by world region of 

birth, year of entry, and educational 

attainment. High English-speaking 

ability is defined as speaking 

only English at home or speaking 

another language at home and 

speaking English “very well.” 

For most regions of birth, newer 

immigrants to the United States 

were significantly less likely to 

have high English-speaking ability than foreign born who arrived 

10, 20, or 25 years ago or more. 

Similarly, there was a notable difference in English-speaking ability 

for the foreign born with less than 

a high school education, compared 

with the foreign born with a high 

school degree or higher, across 

all periods of entry and all world 

regions of birth. 

SUMMARY

There are varying patterns of native 

language retention and English 

adoption among the foreign born. 

Some foreign born arrived in the 

United States knowing how to 

speak English or came from countries where English is the dominant 

language, while some who are not 

from English-speaking countries 

gain English fluency through years 

of study and practice. Englishspeaking ability may depend on 

world region and country of birth, 

level of educational attainment, and 

year of entry characteristics. Level 

of education was positively associated with higher English-speaking 

ability, as was years of residency. 

More than 60 percent of the foreign 

born with at least some college 

education spoke only English at 

home or spoke another language 

at home and spoke English “very 

well.” A longer period of residence 

in the United States was associated 

with a higher proportion speaking 

only English at home and greater 

English-speaking ability for those 

speaking a non-English language at 

home.

This report describes only a few 

of the relationships between the 

English-language ability of the 

foreign born and selected demographic and social characteristics. 

There are many other interesting 

analyses of economic outcomes 

related to English language ability among the foreign born which 

are outside the scope of this 

report.21, 22, 23 Future research using 

American Community Survey data 

might focus on the relationship 

between English-speaking ability 

and wages or occupational mobility 

of the foreign born. Further exploration of the multitude of characteristics related to language use may 

shed light on complex patterns 

associated with English-speaking 

ability among the foreign born. 

WHAT IS THE AMERICAN 

COMMUNITY SURVEY?

The American Community Survey 

(ACS) is a nationwide survey 

designed to provide communities 

with reliable and timely demographic, social, economic, and 

housing data for the nation, states, 

congressional districts, counties, 

places, and other localities every 

year. It has an annual sample size 

of about 3.5 million addresses 

and includes both housing units 

and group quarters (e.g., nursing 

21 Barry R. Chiswick and Paul W. Miller. 

“The Endogeneity between Language and 

Earnings: International Analyses,” Journal of 

Labor Economics, 1995. 13(2): 246–288. 22 Gilles Grenier. “The Effects of Language Characteristics on the Wages of 

Hispanic-American Males,” Journal of Human 

Resources, 1984. 19(1): 35–52. 23 Judith Hellerstein and David Neumark. 

Ethnicity, Language and Workplace Segregation: Evidence from a New Matched EmployerEmployee Data Set. National Bureau of 

Economic Research Working Paper No. 9037, 

2002. Accessed April 29, 2014, <www.nber

.org/papers/w9037.pdf>.
U.S. Census Bureau 13

facilities and prisons). For information on the ACS sample design and 

other topics, visit <www.census.

gov/acs/www/>.

WHY IS LANGUAGE 

INFORMATION COLLECTED 

IN THE AMERICAN 

COMMUNITY SURVEY?

One of the main purposes of collecting information on languages 

spoken at home and Englishspeaking ability is to determine 

bilingual election requirements 

under the Voting Rights Act. 

For more information about the 

Voting Rights Act, go to the U.S. 

Department of Justice, Civil Rights 

Division Web site at <www.justice

.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b

.php>.

SOURCE AND ACCURACY

The data presented in this report 

are based on the ACS sample interviewed from January 2012 through 

December 2012. The estimates 

based on this sample describe the 

average values of person, household, and housing unit characteristics over this period of collection. 

Sampling error is the uncertainty 

between an estimate based on 

a sample and the corresponding 

value that would be obtained if 

the estimate were based on the 

entire population (as from a census). Measures of sampling error 

are provided in the form of margins of error for all key estimates 

included in this report. All comparative statements in this report 

have undergone statistical testing, 

and comparisons are significant 

at the 90 percent level unless 

otherwise noted. In addition to 

sampling error, nonsampling error 

may be introduced during any of 

the operations used to collect and 

process survey data, such as editing, reviewing, or keying data from 

questionnaires. For more information on sampling and estimation 

methods, confidentiality protection, 

and sampling and nonsampling 

errors, please see the 2012 ACS 

Accuracy of the Data document 

located at <www.census 

.gov/acs/www/Downloads 

/data_documentation/Accuracy 

/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2012.pdf>. 

Additional information about the 

foreign-born population is available 

on the Census Bureau’s Web site at 

<www.census.gov/population 

/www/socdemo/foreign/index 

.html>.

CONTACT

For additional information on these 

topics, please call the U.S. Census 

Bureau Customer Service Center at 

1-866-758-1060 (toll free) or visit 

<www.census.gov>.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Gambino, Christine P. , Yesenia D. 

Acosta, and Elizabeth M. Grieco. 

English-Speaking Ability of the 

Foreign-Born Population in the 

United States: 2012. American 

Community Survey Reports, 

ACS-26. U.S. Census Bureau, 

Washington, DC. 2014.
14 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix A.

Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population by 

Country of Birth: 2012

(Foreign-born population aged 5 and older. Numbers in thousands. Countries of birth are shown only for those with 100,000 or more 

people aged 5 and older living in the United States. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Country of birth

Foreign born Only English at home

Spoke a language other than English at home and 

English-speaking ability

Very well Less than very well

Number

Margin of 

error (±)

1

Percent of 

foreign born

Margin of 

error (±)1 

Percent of 

foreign born

Margin of 

error (±)

1

Percent of 

foreign born

Margin of 

error (±)

1

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . 40,589 110 15.4 0.1 34.5 0.2 50.1 0.2

Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 8 9.9 1.3 55.7 2.3 34.4 2.2

Bangladesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 11 4.4 0.9 41.9 2.2 53.7 2.2

Bosnia and Herzegovina . . . . . 121 8 4.2 1.2 47.2 2.8 48.6 3.0

Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 12 10.9 1.0 48.3 2.0 40.8 2.0

Burma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 8 6.4 1.3 19.8 2.3 73.8 2.5

Cambodia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 10 7.9 1.4 25.9 2.2 66.2 2.3

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795 12 79.4 0.8 16.1 0.7 4.5 0.4

China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,280 33 8.6 0.3 30.4 0.6 61.0 0.6

Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 21 6.2 0.5 41.3 1.1 52.5 1.2

Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,110 25 5.8 0.4 32.6 0.9 61.6 0.9

Dominican Republic . . . . . . . . . 950 20 3.2 0.3 31.4 1.0 65.4 1.0

Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419 17 4.6 0.6 32.3 1.5 63.1 1.6

Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 11 12.3 1.5 48.7 2.3 39.0 2.3

El Salvador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,267 32 4.6 0.4 25.7 0.7 69.7 0.7

Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 13 9.9 1.5 48.6 2.4 41.5 2.4

France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 8 24.8 1.9 57.0 2.4 18.2 1.9

Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 13 43.9 1.0 46.5 1.1 9.5 0.7

Ghana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 10 17.3 2.2 60.6 2.9 22.1 2.1

Greece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 6 14.2 1.6 45.1 2.0 40.7 2.1

Guatemala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 852 29 6.5 0.7 21.7 0.9 71.7 1.1

Guyana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 12 92.6 1.4 5.1 1.0 2.3 0.6

Haiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 18 7.3 0.8 39.1 1.4 53.6 1.3

Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 21 4.7 0.7 26.1 1.3 69.2 1.3

India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,944 31 9.2 0.5 65.0 0.6 25.8 0.7

Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 14 9.4 0.8 48.3 1.7 42.4 1.6

Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 12 6.5 1.2 39.3 2.8 54.2 2.7

Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 6 89.1 1.5 9.5 1.4 1.4 0.4

Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 8 19.5 2.3 59.5 2.4 21.0 2.2

Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 10 23.9 1.1 39.8 1.3 36.2 1.3

Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678 20 91.7 0.9 6.7 0.8 1.6 0.3

Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 11 18.4 1.0 32.3 1.3 49.3 1.6

Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 8 17.0 2.4 62.7 2.7 20.3 2.7

Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,075 23 16.2 0.7 29.8 0.8 54.0 0.8

Laos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 10 7.6 1.0 32.1 2.2 60.2 2.3

Lebanon.................. 121 7 11.7 2.0 54.1 2.5 34.2 2.5

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,520 72 3.5 0.1 27.1 0.2 69.4 0.2

Nicaragua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 14 5.5 1.0 36.5 2.4 58.0 2.5

Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 14 27.3 2.4 60.7 2.4 12.0 1.2

Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 15 6.4 0.8 57.8 1.9 35.8 1.7

Panama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 6 20.6 2.2 54.1 2.6 25.4 2.3

Peru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 17 5.4 0.6 40.1 1.4 54.5 1.3

Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,861 28 14.0 0.5 56.1 0.7 29.9 0.6

Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 16 12.8 1.1 40.7 1.3 46.5 1.5

Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 8 13.5 1.6 37.5 2.0 49.0 2.4

Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 9 17.2 1.8 49.4 2.0 33.4 2.2

Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 12 20.7 1.4 39.6 1.4 39.7 1.5

Thailand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 9 13.6 1.5 37.8 1.9 48.6 2.2

Trinidad and Tobago . . . . . . . . 239 10 95.9 0.7 3.4 0.7 0.7 0.3

Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 7 12.8 1.8 52.8 3.0 34.4 2.9

Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 10 9.1 0.8 37.4 1.7 53.6 1.7

United Kingdom (including 

Crown Dependencies) . . . . . 676 15 90.4 0.6 8.4 0.6 1.2 0.2

Venezuela . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 10 6.3 1.0 58.9 2.2 34.8 2.1

Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,255 29 6.9 0.4 25.6 0.7 67.5 0.6

All other countries . . . . . . . . . . 3,861 40 25.8 0.5 41.9 0.5 32.3 0.5

1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error is in relation to 

the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent confidence interval.

Note: Percents may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Responses of: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Paracel Islands, and Taiwan represent China; Korea, South Korea, 

and North Korea represent Korea; Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira represent Portugal; and United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, 

and Isle of Man represent the United Kingdom.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.