E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
State Language Data - ME
 

Maine

Language & Education
2022
2000
1990
English Proficiency

Note: The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Note: The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 56,255
Speak only English 39.0%
Speak English "very well" 38.7%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 22.3%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2022 70.0%
% change: 1990-2000 -10.0%
English Proficiency of the Foreign Born by U.S. Citizenship Status (age 5 and older)*

Note: The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English. Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.

 
Naturalized citizens 28,401
Speak only English 45.3%
Speak English "very well" 36.1%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 18.6%
Noncitizens 22,902
Speak only English 35.9%
Speak English "very well" 35.6%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 28.5%

Note: The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 1,268,067
Speak only English 96.5%
Speak English ""very well"" 3.0%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 0.5%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2011 -58.6%
% change: 1990-2000 -19.6%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 36,196
Speak only English 46.8%
"Speak English ""very well"" 32.8%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 20.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 1,167,968
Speak only English 93.6%
"Speak English ""very well"" 5.0%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 36,677
Speak only English 48.7%
"Speak English ""very well"" 29.0%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 22.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 1,105,885
Speak only English 91.9%
"Speak English ""very well"" 6.2%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1.9%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
Population (age 5 and older)
 
 
Language Spoken at Home (by age and English proficiency)

Note: The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Number
Ages 5-17 184,473
Speak only English 174,455
Speak language other than English 10,018
Speak English "very well"
8,526
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
1,492
Speak Spanish 1,184
Speak English "very well"
981
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
203
Ages 18-64 826,956
Speak only English 780,725
Speak language other than English 46,231
Speak English "very well"
34,487
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
11,744
Speak Spanish 8,362
Speak English "very well"
7,162
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
1,200
65 and Older 312,893
Speak only English 290,120
Speak language other than English 22,773
Speak English "very well"
16,554
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
6,219
Speak Spanish 1,327
Speak English "very well"
1,152
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
175
%
65 and Older 100%
Speak only English 94.6%
Speak language other than English 5.4%
Speak English "very well" 4.6%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.8%
Speak Spanish 0.6%
Speak English "very well" 0.5%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.1%
Ages 18-64 100%
Speak only English 94.4%
Speak language other than English 5.6%
Speak English "very well" 4.2%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 1.4%
Speak Spanish 1.0%
Speak English "very well" 0.9%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.1%
Ages 5-17 100%
Speak only English 92.7%
Speak language other than English 7.3%
Speak English "very well" 5.3%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 2.0%
Speak Spanish 0.4%
Speak English "very well" 0.4%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.1%
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
Population (age 5 and older)
 
 
Language Spoken at Home (detailed, by English proficiency)

Note: 1) The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English. 2) Data for Alaska, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.

Number
Total Household Population, Age 5 and Older 1,303,767
Speak only English 1,226,411
Speak language other than English 77,356
Spanish 11,381
Speak English "very well" 8,850
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,531
French (Including Cajun) 32,665
Speak English "very well" 26,375
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 6,290
Haitian 37
Speak English "very well" 37
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Italian 955
Speak English "very well" 849
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 106
Portuguese 2,137
Speak English "very well" 1,199
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 938
German 2,709
Speak English "very well" 2,339
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 370
Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or Other West Germanic Languages 1,660
Speak English "very well" 1,549
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 111
Russian 1,341
Speak English "very well" 1,030
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 311
Polish 732
Speak English "very well" 638
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 94
Other Slavic Languages 997
Speak English "very well" 772
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 225
Armenian 139
Speak English "very well" 89
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 50
Persian (including Farsi, Dari) 831
Speak English "very well" 503
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 328
Gujarati 47
Speak English "very well" 32
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 15
Hindi 501
Speak English "very well" 343
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 158
Urdu 107
Speak English "very well" 91
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 16
Punjabi 4
Speak English "very well" 4
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Bengali 298
Speak English "very well" 168
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 130
Nepali, Marathi, or Other Indic Languages 47
Speak English "very well" 44
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 3
Other Indo-European Languages 1,965
Speak English "very well" 1,725
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 240
Telugu 118
Speak English "very well" 83
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 35
Tamil 73
Speak English "very well" 73
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Malayalam, Kannada, or Other Dravidian Languages 73
Speak English "very well" 49
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 24
Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese) 2,735
Speak English "very well" 1,486
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,249
Japanese 688
Speak English "very well" 532
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 156
Korean 621
Speak English "very well" 421
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 200
Hmong N
Speak English "very well" N
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Vietnamese 948
Speak English "very well" 340
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 608
Khmer 851
Speak English "very well" 444
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 407
Thai, Lao, or Other Tai-Kadai Languages 778
Speak English "very well" 370
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 408
Other Languages of Asia 319
Speak English "very well" 287
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 32
Tagalog (including Filipino) 1,460
Speak English "very well" 1,147
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 313
Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or Other Austronesian Languages 400
Speak English "very well" 267
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 133
Arabic 1,859
Speak English "very well" 979
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 880
Hebrew 222
Speak English "very well" 216
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 6
Amharic, Somali, or Other Afro-Asiatic Languages 3,348
Speak English "very well" 1,836
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,512
Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or Other Languages of Western Africa 481
Speak English "very well" 393
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 88
Swahili or Other Languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa 2,170
Speak English "very well" 1,425
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 745
Native Languages of North America 911
Speak English "very well" 849
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 62
Other and Unspecified Languages 748
Speak English "very well" 481
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 267
%
Field 306 100%
Field 307 94.1%
Field 308 5.9%
Field 310 100%
Field 310 77.8%
Field 310 22.2%
Field 313 100%
Field 314 80.7%
Field 315 19.3%
Field 316 100%
Field 316 100.0%
Field 316 N
Field 319 100%
Field 319 88.9%
Field 319 11.1%
Field 322 100%
Field 322 56.1%
Field 322 43.9%
Field 325 100%
Field 325 86.3%
Field 325 13.7%
Field 328 100%
Field 328 93.3%
Field 328 6.7%
Field 331 100%
Field 331 76.8%
Field 331 23.2%
Field 334 100%
Field 334 87.2%
Field 334 12.8%
Field 337 100%
Field 337 77.4%
Field 337 22.6%
Field 340 100%
Field 340 64.0%
Field 340 36.0%
Field 343 100%
Field 343 60.5%
Field 343 39.5%
Field 346 100%
Field 346 68.1%
Field 346 31.9%
Field 349 100%
Field 349 68.5%
Field 349 31.5%
Field 352 100%
Field 352 85.0%
Field 352 15.0%
Field 355 100%
Field 355 100.0%
Field 355 N
Field 358 100%
Field 358 56.4%
Field 358 43.6%
Field 361 100%
Field 361 93.6%
Field 361 6.4%
Field 364 100%
Field 364 87.8%
Field 364 12.2%
Field 367 100%
Field 367 70.3%
Field 367 29.7%
Field 370 100%
Field 370 100.0%
Field 370 N
Field 373 100%
Field 373 67.1%
Field 373 32.9%
Field 376 100%
Field 376 54.3%
Field 376 45.7%
Field 379 100%
Field 379 77.3%
Field 379 22.7%
Field 382 100%
Field 382 67.8%
Field 382 32.2%
Field 385 100%
Field 385 N
Field 385 N
Field 388 100%
Field 388 35.9%
Field 388 64.1%
Field 391 100%
Field 391 52.2%
Field 391 47.8%
Field 394 100%
Field 394 47.6%
Field 394 52.4%
Field 397 100%
Field 397 90.0%
Field 397 10.0%
Field 400 100%
Field 400 78.6%
Field 400 21.4%
Field 403 100%
Field 403 66.8%
Field 403 33.3%
Field 406 100%
Field 406 52.7%
Field 406 47.3%
Field 409 100%
Field 409 97.3%
Field 409 2.7%
Field 412 100%
Field 412 54.8%
Field 412 45.2%
Field 415 100%
Field 415 81.7%
Field 415 18.3%
Field 418 100%
Field 418 65.7%
Field 418 34.3%
Field 421 100%
Field 421 93.2%
Field 421 6.8%
Field 424 100%
Field 424 64.3%
Field 424 35.7%
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Educational Attainment Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 46,191
Less than high school diploma 10.1%
High school diploma or GED 23.4%
Some college or associate's degree 23.0%
Bachelor's degree 24.6%
Graduate or professional degree 18.9%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 8.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 5.4%
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2022 -44.7%
% change: 1990-2000 -33.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2022 152.4%
% change: 1990-2000 45.7%
Educational Attainment by U.S. Citizenship Status (foreign-born adults, age 25 and older)

Note: 1) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 2) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

 
Naturalized citizens (%) 25,049
Less than high school diploma 13.9%
High school diploma or GED 21.9%
Some college or associate's degree 24.6%
Bachelor's degree 21.7%
Graduate or professional degree 17.9%
Noncitizens (%) 17,425
Less than high school diploma 12.2%
High school diploma or GED 22.4%
Some college or associate's degree 22.6%
Bachelor's degree 23.1%
Graduate or professional degree 19.6%
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 983,950
Less than high school diploma 5.1%
High school diploma or GED 30.5%
Some college or associate's degree 28.7%
Bachelor's degree 22.2%
Graduate or professional degree 13.5%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Nothing  
Nothing  
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2011 -57.4%
% change: 1990-2000 -24.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2011 80.6%
% change: 1990-2000 37.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 31,340
Less than high school diploma 26.9%
High school diploma or GED 24.6%
Some college or associate's degree 23.1%
Bachelor's degree 13.4%
Graduate or professional degree 12.1%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 6.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.9%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 838,777
Less than high school diploma 14.1%
High school diploma or GED 36.7%
Some college or associate's degree 26.0%
Bachelor's degree 15.2%
Graduate or professional degree 8.0%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 33,265
Less than high school diploma 37.9%
High school diploma or GED 27.2%
Some college or associate's degree 18.5%
Bachelor's degree 9.2%
Graduate or professional degree 7.3%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 7.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.7%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 761,521
Less than high school diploma 20.5%
High school diploma or GED 37.7%
Some college or associate's degree 23.2%
Bachelor's degree 12.3%
Graduate or professional degree 6.3%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sources: Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. Unless stated otherwise, 2022 data are from the one-year ACS file. For information about ACS definitions, click here. For ACS methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here. Estimates from 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census data as well as ACS microdata are from Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rogers, and Megan Schouweiler. IPUMS USA: Version 14.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V14.0​.

Definitions

  • The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.
  • The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.
  • The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English “not at all,” “not well,” or “well” on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English “very well” are considered proficient in English.

Data-related notes

  • The letter N indicates that an estimate could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.
  • For “English proficiency of the foreign born by U.S. citizenship status” and “Educational Attainment by U.S. Citizenship Status”: Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 
  • For “Language Spoken at Home (detailed, by English proficiency)”: Data for Alaska, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.