E.g., 04/19/2024
E.g., 04/19/2024

State Language Data - NY

 
New York
United States
Language & Education
2022
2022
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) (%) 4,439,275
Speak only English 23.9%
Speak English "very well" 31.0%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 45.1%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2022 15.0%
% change: 1990-2000 48.7%
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 2,707,308
Speak only English 28.1%
Speak English "very well" 33.5%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 38.4%
Noncitizens 1,731,967
Speak only English 17.2%
Speak English "very well" 27.2%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 55.6%

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) (%) 14,182,421
Speak only English 83.5%
Speak English ""very well"" 12.9%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 3.6%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2011 -11.1%
% change: 1990-2000 -2.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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) (%) 45,898,485
Speak only English 16.9%
Speak English "very well" 37.1%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 46.0%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2019 34.9%
% change: 1990-2000 71.8%
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 24,463,356
Speak only English 20.7%
Speak English "very well" 42.4%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 36.9%
Noncitizens 21,435,129
Speak only English 12.5%
Speak English "very well" 31.1%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 56.4%

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) (%) 269,030,878
Speak only English 88.4%
Speak English ""very well"" 9.6%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2.0%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2011 -4.6%
% change: 1990-2000 17.6%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
Population (age 5 and older)
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 2,925,783
Speak only English 2,050,196
Speak language other than English 875,587
Speak English "very well"
619,863
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
255,724
Speak Spanish 439,718
Speak English "very well"
329,951
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
109,767
Ages 18-64 12,131,317
Speak only English 8,224,931
Speak language other than English 3,906,386
Speak English "very well"
2,253,987
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
1,652,399
Speak Spanish 1,905,732
Speak English "very well"
1,043,310
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
862,422
65 and Older 3,564,596
Speak only English 2,633,815
Speak language other than English 930,781
Speak English "very well"
330,095
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
600,686
Speak Spanish 379,252
Speak English "very well"
130,642
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
248,610
%
65 and Older 100%
Speak only English 70.1%
Speak language other than English 29.9%
Speak English "very well" 21.2%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 8.7%
Speak Spanish 15.0%
Speak English "very well" 11.3%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 3.8%
Ages 18-64 100%
Speak only English 67.8%
Speak language other than English 32.2%
Speak English "very well" 18.6%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 13.6%
Speak Spanish 15.7%
Speak English "very well" 8.6%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 7.1%
Ages 5-17 100%
Speak only English 73.9%
Speak language other than English 26.1%
Speak English "very well" 9.3%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 16.9%
Speak Spanish 10.6%
Speak English "very well" 3.7%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 7.0%
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 53,967,403
Speak only English 42,395,802
Speak language other than English 11,571,601
Speak English "very well"
8,976,300
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
2,595,301
Speak Spanish 7,972,525
Speak English "very well"
6,182,632
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
1,789,893
Ages 18-64 203,139,645
Speak only English 154,409,107
Speak language other than English 48,730,538
Speak English "very well"
29,848,324
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
18,882,214
Speak Spanish 29,658,708
Speak English "very well"
17,242,859
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
12,415,849
65 and Older 57,822,315
Speak only English 48,882,668
Speak language other than English 8,939,647
Speak English "very well"
3,896,213
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
5,043,434
Speak Spanish 4,401,305
Speak English "very well"
1,849,181
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
2,552,124
%
65 and Older 100%
Speak only English 78.6%
Speak language other than English 21.4%
Speak English "very well" 16.6%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 4.8%
Speak Spanish 14.8%
Speak English "very well" 11.5%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 3.3%
Ages 18-64 100%
Speak only English 76.0%
Speak language other than English 24.0%
Speak English "very well" 14.7%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 9.3%
Speak Spanish 14.6%
Speak English "very well" 8.5%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 6.1%
Ages 5-17 100%
Speak only English 84.5%
Speak language other than English 15.5%
Speak English "very well" 6.7%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 8.7%
Speak Spanish 7.6%
Speak English "very well" 3.2%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 4.4%
 
Population (age 5 and older)
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 18,621,696
Speak only English 12,908,942
Speak language other than English 5,712,754
Spanish 2,724,702
Speak English "very well" 1,503,903
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,220,799
French (Including Cajun) 142,480
Speak English "very well" 111,011
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 31,469
Haitian 142,042
Speak English "very well" 93,170
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 48,872
Italian 128,014
Speak English "very well" 87,939
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 40,075
Portuguese 48,148
Speak English "very well" 34,014
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 14,134
German 48,296
Speak English "very well" 41,788
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 6,508
Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or Other West Germanic Languages 218,437
Speak English "very well" 106,886
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 111,551
Russian 213,614
Speak English "very well" 103,561
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 110,053
Polish 62,315
Speak English "very well" 33,850
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 28,465
Other Slavic Languages 78,482
Speak English "very well" 46,337
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 32,145
Armenian 6,471
Speak English "very well" 3,938
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,533
Persian (including Farsi, Dari) 25,088
Speak English "very well" 16,832
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 8,256
Gujarati 16,562
Speak English "very well" 12,542
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 4,020
Hindi 51,114
Speak English "very well" 39,306
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 11,808
Urdu 75,261
Speak English "very well" 45,514
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 29,747
Punjabi 45,063
Speak English "very well" 23,304
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 21,759
Bengali 145,845
Speak English "very well" 71,940
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 73,905
Nepali, Marathi, or Other Indic Languages 40,959
Speak English "very well" 20,693
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 20,266
Other Indo-European Languages 146,680
Speak English "very well" 102,021
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 44,659
Telugu 7,069
Speak English "very well" 5,720
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,349
Tamil 9,207
Speak English "very well" 7,132
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,075
Malayalam, Kannada, or Other Dravidian Languages 29,326
Speak English "very well" 20,312
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 9,014
Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese) 607,713
Speak English "very well" 221,874
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 385,839
Japanese 33,462
Speak English "very well" 18,620
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 14,842
Korean 94,761
Speak English "very well" 47,916
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 46,845
Hmong 253
Speak English "very well" 193
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 60
Vietnamese 23,139
Speak English "very well" 10,486
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 12,653
Khmer 4,770
Speak English "very well" 2,522
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,248
Thai, Lao, or Other Tai-Kadai Languages 10,158
Speak English "very well" 4,300
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 5,858
Other Languages of Asia 69,331
Speak English "very well" 34,797
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 34,534
Tagalog (including Filipino) 82,295
Speak English "very well" 61,885
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 20,410
Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or Other Austronesian Languages 14,188
Speak English "very well" 9,316
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 4,872
Arabic 135,861
Speak English "very well" 88,397
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 47,464
Hebrew 54,825
Speak English "very well" 43,573
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 11,252
Amharic, Somali, or Other Afro-Asiatic Languages 19,813
Speak English "very well" 14,695
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 5,118
Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or Other Languages of Western Africa 94,941
Speak English "very well" 70,930
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 24,011
Swahili or Other Languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa 15,809
Speak English "very well" 10,705
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 5,104
Native Languages of North America 3,994
Speak English "very well" 3,551
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 443
Other and Unspecified Languages 42,266
Speak English "very well" 28,472
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 13,794
%
Field 306 100%
Field 307 69.3%
Field 308 30.7%
Field 310 100%
Field 310 55.2%
Field 310 44.8%
Field 313 100%
Field 314 77.9%
Field 315 22.1%
Field 316 100%
Field 316 65.6%
Field 316 34.4%
Field 319 100%
Field 319 68.7%
Field 319 31.3%
Field 322 100%
Field 322 70.6%
Field 322 29.4%
Field 325 100%
Field 325 86.5%
Field 325 13.5%
Field 328 100%
Field 328 48.9%
Field 328 51.1%
Field 331 100%
Field 331 48.5%
Field 331 51.5%
Field 334 100%
Field 334 54.3%
Field 334 45.7%
Field 337 100%
Field 337 59.0%
Field 337 41.0%
Field 340 100%
Field 340 60.9%
Field 340 39.1%
Field 343 100%
Field 343 67.1%
Field 343 32.9%
Field 346 100%
Field 346 75.7%
Field 346 24.3%
Field 349 100%
Field 349 76.9%
Field 349 23.1%
Field 352 100%
Field 352 60.5%
Field 352 39.5%
Field 355 100%
Field 355 51.7%
Field 355 48.3%
Field 358 100%
Field 358 49.3%
Field 358 50.7%
Field 361 100%
Field 361 50.5%
Field 361 49.5%
Field 364 100%
Field 364 69.6%
Field 364 30.4%
Field 367 100%
Field 367 80.9%
Field 367 19.1%
Field 370 100%
Field 370 77.5%
Field 370 22.5%
Field 373 100%
Field 373 69.3%
Field 373 30.7%
Field 376 100%
Field 376 36.5%
Field 376 63.5%
Field 379 100%
Field 379 55.6%
Field 379 44.4%
Field 382 100%
Field 382 50.6%
Field 382 49.4%
Field 385 100%
Field 385 76.3%
Field 385 23.7%
Field 388 100%
Field 388 45.3%
Field 388 54.7%
Field 391 100%
Field 391 52.9%
Field 391 47.1%
Field 394 100%
Field 394 42.3%
Field 394 57.7%
Field 397 100%
Field 397 50.2%
Field 397 49.8%
Field 400 100%
Field 400 75.2%
Field 400 24.8%
Field 403 100%
Field 403 65.7%
Field 403 34.3%
Field 406 100%
Field 406 65.1%
Field 406 34.9%
Field 409 100%
Field 409 79.5%
Field 409 20.5%
Field 412 100%
Field 412 74.2%
Field 412 25.8%
Field 415 100%
Field 415 74.7%
Field 415 25.3%
Field 418 100%
Field 418 67.7%
Field 418 32.3%
Field 421 100%
Field 421 88.9%
Field 421 11.1%
Field 424 100%
Field 424 67.4%
Field 424 32.6%
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 314,929,363
Speak only English 245,687,577
Speak language other than English 69,241,786
Spanish 42,032,538
Speak English "very well" 25,274,672
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 16,757,866
French (Including Cajun) 1,222,970
Speak English "very well" 964,753
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 258,217
Haitian 910,380
Speak English "very well" 572,320
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 338,060
Italian 521,786
Speak English "very well" 393,668
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 128,118
Portuguese 997,882
Speak English "very well" 631,121
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 366,761
German 876,103
Speak English "very well" 740,485
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 135,618
Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or Other West Germanic Languages 620,027
Speak English "very well" 416,556
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 203,471
Russian 974,829
Speak English "very well" 583,052
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 391,777
Polish 482,519
Speak English "very well" 302,366
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 180,153
Other Slavic Languages 680,594
Speak English "very well" 432,348
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 248,246
Armenian 239,731
Speak English "very well" 147,828
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 91,903
Persian (including Farsi, Dari) 514,547
Speak English "very well" 319,040
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 195,507
Gujarati 456,887
Speak English "very well" 310,934
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 145,953
Hindi 881,242
Speak English "very well" 734,763
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 146,479
Urdu 518,759
Speak English "very well" 375,294
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 143,465
Punjabi 342,635
Speak English "very well" 209,065
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 133,570
Bengali 416,062
Speak English "very well" 245,121
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 170,941
Nepali, Marathi, or Other Indic Languages 510,267
Speak English "very well" 345,942
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 164,325
Other Indo-European Languages 914,710
Speak English "very well" 645,534
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 269,176
Telugu 506,033
Speak English "very well" 413,507
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 92,526
Tamil 341,204
Speak English "very well" 287,364
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 53,840
Malayalam, Kannada, or Other Dravidian Languages 294,033
Speak English "very well" 233,881
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 60,152
Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese) 3,507,304
Speak English "very well" 1,715,209
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,792,095
Japanese 431,996
Speak English "very well" 260,496
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 171,500
Korean 1,110,875
Speak English "very well" 543,851
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 567,024
Hmong 234,119
Speak English "very well" 143,533
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 90,586
Vietnamese 1,537,826
Speak English "very well" 660,474
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 877,352
Khmer 198,275
Speak English "very well" 90,561
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 107,714
Thai, Lao, or Other Tai-Kadai Languages 301,544
Speak English "very well" 153,393
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 148,151
Other Languages of Asia 503,224
Speak English "very well" 266,361
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 236,863
Tagalog (including Filipino) 1,757,649
Speak English "very well" 1,225,111
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 532,538
Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or Other Austronesian Languages 485,099
Speak English "very well" 314,587
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 170,512
Arabic 1,428,025
Speak English "very well" 950,212
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 477,813
Hebrew 221,173
Speak English "very well" 185,203
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 35,970
Amharic, Somali, or Other Afro-Asiatic Languages 623,546
Speak English "very well" 380,507
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 243,039
Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or Other Languages of Western Africa 673,386
Speak English "very well" 538,204
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 135,182
Swahili or Other Languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa 342,318
Speak English "very well" 236,146
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 106,172
Native Languages of North America 311,685
Speak English "very well" 252,763
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 58,922
Other and Unspecified Languages 318,004
Speak English "very well" 224,612
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 93,392
%
Field 306 100%
Field 307 78.0%
Field 308 22.0%
Field 310 100%
Field 310 60.1%
Field 310 39.9%
Field 313 100%
Field 314 78.9%
Field 315 21.1%
Field 316 100%
Field 316 62.9%
Field 316 37.1%
Field 319 100%
Field 319 75.4%
Field 319 24.6%
Field 322 100%
Field 322 63.2%
Field 322 36.8%
Field 325 100%
Field 325 84.5%
Field 325 15.5%
Field 328 100%
Field 328 67.2%
Field 328 32.8%
Field 331 100%
Field 331 59.8%
Field 331 40.2%
Field 334 100%
Field 334 62.7%
Field 334 37.3%
Field 337 100%
Field 337 63.5%
Field 337 36.5%
Field 340 100%
Field 340 61.7%
Field 340 38.3%
Field 343 100%
Field 343 62.0%
Field 343 38.0%
Field 346 100%
Field 346 68.1%
Field 346 31.9%
Field 349 100%
Field 349 83.4%
Field 349 16.6%
Field 352 100%
Field 352 72.3%
Field 352 27.7%
Field 355 100%
Field 355 61.0%
Field 355 39.0%
Field 358 100%
Field 358 58.9%
Field 358 41.1%
Field 361 100%
Field 361 67.8%
Field 361 32.2%
Field 364 100%
Field 364 70.6%
Field 364 29.4%
Field 367 100%
Field 367 81.7%
Field 367 18.3%
Field 370 100%
Field 370 84.2%
Field 370 15.8%
Field 373 100%
Field 373 79.5%
Field 373 20.5%
Field 376 100%
Field 376 48.9%
Field 376 51.1%
Field 379 100%
Field 379 60.3%
Field 379 39.7%
Field 382 100%
Field 382 49.0%
Field 382 51.0%
Field 385 100%
Field 385 61.3%
Field 385 38.7%
Field 388 100%
Field 388 42.9%
Field 388 57.1%
Field 391 100%
Field 391 45.7%
Field 391 54.3%
Field 394 100%
Field 394 50.9%
Field 394 49.1%
Field 397 100%
Field 397 52.9%
Field 397 47.1%
Field 400 100%
Field 400 69.7%
Field 400 30.3%
Field 403 100%
Field 403 64.9%
Field 403 35.1%
Field 406 100%
Field 406 66.5%
Field 406 33.5%
Field 409 100%
Field 409 83.7%
Field 409 16.3%
Field 412 100%
Field 412 61.0%
Field 412 39.0%
Field 415 100%
Field 415 79.9%
Field 415 20.1%
Field 418 100%
Field 418 69.0%
Field 418 31.0%
Field 421 100%
Field 421 81.1%
Field 421 18.9%
Field 424 100%
Field 424 70.6%
Field 424 29.4%
Educational Attainment Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 4,008,938
Less than high school diploma 23.1%
High school diploma or GED 24.7%
Some college or associate's degree 18.2%
Bachelor's degree 18.9%
Graduate or professional degree 15.2%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 55.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher 24.6%
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2022 -13.0%
% change: 1990-2000 18.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2022 77.7%
% change: 1990-2000 68.6%
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 (%) 2,553,339
Less than high school diploma 18.6%
High school diploma or GED 23.6%
Some college or associate's degree 20.9%
Bachelor's degree 20.9%
Graduate or professional degree 16%
Noncitizens (%) 1,455,599
Less than high school diploma 30.9%
High school diploma or GED 26.5%
Some college or associate's degree 13.4%
Bachelor's degree 15.3%
Graduate or professional degree 13.9%
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 9,883,303
Less than high school diploma 7.7%
High school diploma or GED 24.5%
Some college or associate's degree 25.4%
Bachelor's degree 23.7%
Graduate or professional degree 18.7%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Nothing  
Nothing  
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2011 -51.5%
% change: 1990-2000 -24.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2011 57.1%
% change: 1990-2000 17.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Educational Attainment Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 40,782,938
Less than high school diploma 24.9%
High school diploma or GED 22.1%
Some college or associate's degree 18.3%
Bachelor's degree 19.1%
Graduate or professional degree 15.6%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 42.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher 17.3%
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2018 9.4%
% change: 1990-2000 47.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2018 141.3%
% change: 1990-2000 88.9%
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 (%) 22,939,352
Less than high school diploma 17.9%
High school diploma or GED 21%
Some college or associate's degree 21.8%
Bachelor's degree 22.1%
Graduate or professional degree 17.1%
Noncitizens (%) 17,843,586
Less than high school diploma 34%
High school diploma or GED 23.5%
Some college or associate's degree 13.6%
Bachelor's degree 15.3%
Graduate or professional degree 13.6%
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 188,924,199
Less than high school diploma 7.2%
High school diploma or GED 26.9%
Some college or associate's degree 30.0%
Bachelor's degree 22.2%
Graduate or professional degree 13.7%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Nothing  
Nothing  
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2011 -48.3%
% change: 1990-2000 -19.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2011 75.7%
% change: 1990-2000 32.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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.