32% Can Speak a Language other than English

Nearly one-third of Americans aged 18 or older (32 percent) say they can speak a language other than English, according to the 2018 General Social Survey. This figure has been growing slowly over the years and is up from 28 percent a decade ago.

Not surprisingly, Asians and Hispanics are most likely to say they can speak a language other than English—83 and 69 percent, respectively. In contrast, only 22 percent of Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites are multilingual. By generation, the youngest Americans are most likely to be able to speak a language other than English...

Can speak a language other than English
iGeneration: 43%
Millennials: 39%
Gen Xers: 33%
Boomers: 26%
Older: 13%

Note: In 2018 the iGeneration was aged 18 to 23; Millennials were aged 24 to 41; Gen Xers were aged 42 to 53; Boomers were aged 54 to 72; and older Americans were aged 73 or older.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2018 General Social Survey

Asians Most Likely to be Multilingual

Among American adults, 29 percent can speak a language other than English. The multilingual population varies greatly by race and Hispanic origin. Most Asians and Hispanics are multilingual. Most Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites are not...

Can speak a language other than English
Total: 29%
Asians: 82%
Blacks: 26%
Hispanics: 68%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 19%

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2016 General Social Survey

Can You Speak a Language Other than English?

Twenty-nine percent of Americans aged 18 or older can speak a language other than English, according to the 2016 General Social Survey, up from 25 percent a decade ago in 2006. By generation, these are the percentages who are multilingual...

iGeneration (18 to 21): 40%
Millennials (22 to 39): 38%
Gen Xers (40 to 51): 30%
Boomers: (52 to 70): 23%
Older: (71 or older): 17%

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2016 General Social Survey

39 Million Americans Speak Spanish at Home

Sixty-three million people speak a language other than English at home—fully 21 percent of the population aged 5 or older, according to the 2014 American Community Survey. Of those who speak a language other than English at home, the 62 percent majority speak Spanish. Here are the non-English languages with at least 1 million home speakers...

Language other than English spoken at home (and % who speak English less than "very well")
Spanish: 39.3 million (42%)
Chinese: 3.1 million (56%)
Tagalog: 1.7 million (31%)
Vietnamese: 1.5 million (59%)
French: 1.2 million (20%)
Korean: 1.1 million (55%)
Arabic: 1.1 million (38%)

Source: Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey

Most Hispanics Speak English Proficiently

Although most of the nation's Hispanics speak Spanish at home, a growing share speak English proficiently. Fully 68 percent of Hispanics aged 5 or older speak English very well, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of 2013 Census Bureau data. This figure is up from the 59 percent who spoke English proficiently in 2000. Here is the language status of Hispanics in 2013...

Language status of Hispanics aged 5 or older
26% speak only English at home
41% speak Spanish or another language at home and speak English very well
26% speak Spanish or another language at home and speak English less than very well
7% speak Spanish or another language at home and do not speak English

Source: Pew Research Center, English Proficiency on the Rise Among Latinos

Half of Foreign-Born Proficient in English

Among the 41 million foreign-born living in the United States, nearly half (49.9%) are proficient in English: 15.4 percent speak only English at home, and another 34.5 percent speak a language other than English at home but say they speak English "very well."

Fewer than one-third do not speak English at all (9.6%) or "not well" (19.3%). 

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey, English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2012

How Many Are Bilingual?

Overall, 34 percent of Americans aged 18 or older know a second language well enough to hold a conversation. Here are the bilingual percentages by age group...

Aged 18 to 29: 52%
Aged 30 to 49: 36%
Aged 50 to 64: 27%
Aged 65-plus: 21%

Source: Gallup, Most in U.S. Say It's Essential that Immigrants Learn English

61 Million Do Not Speak English at Home

Fully 61 million Americans aged 5 or older speak a language other than English at home—a substantial 21 percent of the population. A new Census Bureau report (Language Use in the United States: 2011) analyzes the languages Americans speak at home, which range from Spanish and Chinese to Arabic, Hebrew, and Navajo. The report also looks at the English-language ability of those who speak other languages at home.

Among those who do not speak English at home, nearly two out of three (38 million) speak Spanish. Among Spanish speakers, the 56 percent majority speak English "very well." Other languages spoken in the home by at least 1 million Americans are Chinese (2.9 million), Tagalog (1.6 million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), Korean (1.1 million), and German (1.1 million). Most of those who speak Tagalog, French, or German at home also speak English very well. Most of those who speak Chinese, Vietnamese, or Korean at home do not speak English very well.

The report includes statistics for states and selected metropolitan areas. The Census Bureau also created an interactive language mapper that zooms in on areas as small as census tracts where at least 10 people speak one of 15 languages other than English at home.