E.g., 04/19/2024
E.g., 04/19/2024
State Language Data - MN
 

Minnesota

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) (%) 494,854
Speak only English 20.8%
Speak English "very well" 38.2%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 40.9%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2022 75.3%
% change: 1990-2000 177.3%
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 289,270
Speak only English 24.6%
Speak English "very well" 38.8%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 36.6%
Noncitizens 205,584
Speak only English 15.5%
Speak English "very well" 37.5%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 47.0%

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) (%) 4,894,235
Speak only English 94.6%
Speak English ""very well"" 4.3%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1.1%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2011 6.3%
% change: 1990-2000 30.2%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 254,250
Speak only English 22.0%
"Speak English ""very well"" 32.6%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 45.5%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 4,337,241
Speak only English 95.6%
"Speak English ""very well"" 3.2%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1.2%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 111,512
Speak only English 31.2%
"Speak English ""very well"" 31.4%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 37.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 3,920,023
Speak only English 96.1%
"Speak English ""very well"" 2.9%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1.0%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
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 5-17 960,118
Speak only English 829,796
Speak language other than English 130,322
Speak English "very well"
93,902
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
36,420
Speak Spanish 46,035
Speak English "very well"
31,709
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
14,326
Ages 18-64 3,433,924
Speak only English 2,957,676
Speak language other than English 476,248
Speak English "very well"
280,941
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
195,307
Speak Spanish 147,078
Speak English "very well"
80,368
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
66,710
65 and Older 995,047
Speak only English 945,297
Speak language other than English 49,750
Speak English "very well"
23,729
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
26,021
Speak Spanish 10,658
Speak English "very well"
6,663
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
3,995
%
65 and Older 100%
Speak only English 86.4%
Speak language other than English 13.6%
Speak English "very well" 9.8%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 3.8%
Speak Spanish 4.8%
Speak English "very well" 3.3%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 1.5%
Ages 18-64 100%
Speak only English 86.1%
Speak language other than English 13.9%
Speak English "very well" 8.2%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 5.7%
Speak Spanish 4.3%
Speak English "very well" 2.3%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 1.9%
Ages 5-17 100%
Speak only English 95.0%
Speak language other than English 5.0%
Speak English "very well" 2.4%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 2.6%
Speak Spanish 1.1%
Speak English "very well" 0.7%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.4%
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
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 5,389,089
Speak only English 4,732,769
Speak language other than English 656,320
Spanish 203,771
Speak English "very well" 118,740
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 85,031
French (Including Cajun) 16,229
Speak English "very well" 11,773
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 4,456
Haitian 635
Speak English "very well" 468
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 167
Italian 1,629
Speak English "very well" 1,311
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 318
Portuguese 4,461
Speak English "very well" 3,930
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 531
German 17,322
Speak English "very well" 12,571
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 4,751
Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or Other West Germanic Languages 2,491
Speak English "very well" 1,604
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 887
Russian 16,397
Speak English "very well" 11,069
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 5,328
Polish 1,776
Speak English "very well" 1,418
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 358
Other Slavic Languages 6,069
Speak English "very well" 3,162
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,907
Armenian N
Speak English "very well" N
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Persian (including Farsi, Dari) 5,275
Speak English "very well" 1,784
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 3,491
Gujarati 2,978
Speak English "very well" 2,245
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 733
Hindi 7,329
Speak English "very well" 6,247
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,082
Urdu 2,248
Speak English "very well" 1,588
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 660
Punjabi 610
Speak English "very well" 291
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 319
Bengali 3,479
Speak English "very well" 2,648
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 831
Nepali, Marathi, or Other Indic Languages 7,511
Speak English "very well" 5,776
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,735
Other Indo-European Languages 7,201
Speak English "very well" 5,719
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,482
Telugu 6,563
Speak English "very well" 4,481
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,082
Tamil 7,474
Speak English "very well" 6,401
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,073
Malayalam, Kannada, or Other Dravidian Languages 1,573
Speak English "very well" 1,494
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 79
Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese) 18,475
Speak English "very well" 9,952
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 8,523
Japanese 3,051
Speak English "very well" 2,575
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 476
Korean 4,845
Speak English "very well" 2,971
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,874
Hmong 69,541
Speak English "very well" 40,657
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 28,884
Vietnamese 23,712
Speak English "very well" 9,949
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 13,763
Khmer 7,139
Speak English "very well" 3,220
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 3,919
Thai, Lao, or Other Tai-Kadai Languages 10,091
Speak English "very well" 6,060
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 4,031
Other Languages of Asia 24,513
Speak English "very well" 9,830
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 14,683
Tagalog (including Filipino) 7,710
Speak English "very well" 6,026
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,684
Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or Other Austronesian Languages 2,320
Speak English "very well" 1,422
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 898
Arabic 14,503
Speak English "very well" 10,045
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 4,458
Hebrew 1,075
Speak English "very well" 693
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 382
Amharic, Somali, or Other Afro-Asiatic Languages 104,558
Speak English "very well" 60,611
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 43,947
Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or Other Languages of Western Africa 18,341
Speak English "very well" 12,551
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 5,790
Swahili or Other Languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa 12,262
Speak English "very well" 8,579
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 3,683
Native Languages of North America 4,816
Speak English "very well" 4,558
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 258
Other and Unspecified Languages 6,347
Speak English "very well" 4,153
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,194
%
Field 306 100%
Field 307 87.8%
Field 308 12.2%
Field 310 100%
Field 310 58.3%
Field 310 41.7%
Field 313 100%
Field 314 72.5%
Field 315 27.5%
Field 316 100%
Field 316 73.7%
Field 316 26.3%
Field 319 100%
Field 319 80.5%
Field 319 19.5%
Field 322 100%
Field 322 88.1%
Field 322 11.9%
Field 325 100%
Field 325 72.6%
Field 325 27.4%
Field 328 100%
Field 328 64.4%
Field 328 35.6%
Field 331 100%
Field 331 67.5%
Field 331 32.5%
Field 334 100%
Field 334 79.8%
Field 334 20.2%
Field 337 100%
Field 337 52.1%
Field 337 47.9%
Field 340 100%
Field 340 N
Field 340 N
Field 343 100%
Field 343 33.8%
Field 343 66.2%
Field 346 100%
Field 346 75.4%
Field 346 24.6%
Field 349 100%
Field 349 85.2%
Field 349 14.8%
Field 352 100%
Field 352 70.6%
Field 352 29.4%
Field 355 100%
Field 355 47.7%
Field 355 52.3%
Field 358 100%
Field 358 76.1%
Field 358 23.9%
Field 361 100%
Field 361 76.9%
Field 361 23.1%
Field 364 100%
Field 364 79.4%
Field 364 20.6%
Field 367 100%
Field 367 68.3%
Field 367 31.7%
Field 370 100%
Field 370 85.6%
Field 370 14.4%
Field 373 100%
Field 373 95.0%
Field 373 5.0%
Field 376 100%
Field 376 53.9%
Field 376 46.1%
Field 379 100%
Field 379 84.4%
Field 379 15.6%
Field 382 100%
Field 382 61.3%
Field 382 38.7%
Field 385 100%
Field 385 58.5%
Field 385 41.5%
Field 388 100%
Field 388 42.0%
Field 388 58.0%
Field 391 100%
Field 391 45.1%
Field 391 54.9%
Field 394 100%
Field 394 60.1%
Field 394 39.9%
Field 397 100%
Field 397 40.1%
Field 397 59.9%
Field 400 100%
Field 400 78.2%
Field 400 21.8%
Field 403 100%
Field 403 61.3%
Field 403 38.7%
Field 406 100%
Field 406 69.3%
Field 406 30.7%
Field 409 100%
Field 409 64.5%
Field 409 35.5%
Field 412 100%
Field 412 58.0%
Field 412 42.0%
Field 415 100%
Field 415 68.4%
Field 415 31.6%
Field 418 100%
Field 418 70.0%
Field 418 30.0%
Field 421 100%
Field 421 94.6%
Field 421 5.4%
Field 424 100%
Field 424 65.4%
Field 424 34.6%
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Educational Attainment Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 413,071
Less than high school diploma 23.9%
High school diploma or GED 19.6%
Some college or associate's degree 20.1%
Bachelor's degree 19.4%
Graduate or professional degree 17.0%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 42.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher 9.8%
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2022 87.2%
% change: 1990-2000 99.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2022 192.1%
% change: 1990-2000 110.7%
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 (%) 254,896
Less than high school diploma 21%
High school diploma or GED 19.5%
Some college or associate's degree 23.4%
Bachelor's degree 19.8%
Graduate or professional degree 16.3%
Noncitizens (%) 158,175
Less than high school diploma 28.5%
High school diploma or GED 19.7%
Some college or associate's degree 14.9%
Bachelor's degree 18.9%
Graduate or professional degree 18%
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 3,505,494
Less than high school diploma 3.9%
High school diploma or GED 23.9%
Some college or associate's degree 32.8%
Bachelor's degree 26.1%
Graduate or professional degree 13.4%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Nothing  
Nothing  
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2011 -58.9%
% change: 1990-2000 -28.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2011 69.7%
% change: 1990-2000 41.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 173,147
Less than high school diploma 30.4%
High school diploma or GED 18.9%
Some college or associate's degree 20.9%
Bachelor's degree 15.8%
Graduate or professional degree 14.0%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 13.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 5.9%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 2,986,305
Less than high school diploma 11.0%
High school diploma or GED 29.3%
Some college or associate's degree 32.4%
Bachelor's degree 19.2%
Graduate or professional degree 8.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 85,870
Less than high school diploma 30.8%
High school diploma or GED 18.3%
Some college or associate's degree 22.4%
Bachelor's degree 14.3%
Graduate or professional degree 14.1%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 5.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 4.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 2,680,090
Less than high school diploma 17.2%
High school diploma or GED 33.3%
Some college or associate's degree 27.9%
Bachelor's degree 15.6%
Graduate or professional degree 5.9%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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.