Hispanics/Latinos & Language

Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish: 75% say they are able to carry on a conversation in Spanish pretty well or very well. But not all Latinos are Spanish speakers, and about half (54%) of non-Spanish-speaking Latinos have been shamed by other Latinos for not speaking Spanish.

Here are some key facts about the nation’s Latino population by geography, and by characteristics like language use and origin group.

In 2016, a third of unauthorized immigrant adults were proficient in English – up from a quarter in 2007.

The share of Latino parents who ensure the Spanish language lives on with their children declines as their immigrant connections become more distant.

The U.S. has more foreign students enrolled in its colleges and universities than any other country in the world. Explore data about foreign students in the U.S. higher education system.

The share of U.S. Latinos who speak the language has declined over the past decade or so: 73% of Latinos spoke Spanish at home in 2015, down from 78% in 2006.

The long-standing divide in internet use between U.S. Hispanics and whites is now at its narrowest point since 2009, as immigrant and Spanish-dominant Latinos make big strides in going online.

in 2014, 88% of Latinos ages 5 to 17 said they either speak only English at home or speak English “very well,” up from 73% in 2000.

There were 55.3 million Hispanics in the United States in 2014, comprising 17.3% of the total U.S. population.

During Saturday’s Republican presidential debate in South Carolina, Marco Rubio questioned (in English) whether Ted Cruz speaks Spanish. Cruz responded in Spanish with a challenge to Rubio to discuss their views on immigration in that language. Rubio’s confrontation with Cruz, who recently became the first Hispanic to win the Iowa caucuses, was interpreted by some […]