English Proficiency on the Rise Among Latinos

PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Born Are Driving Language Changes

A record 33.2 million Hispanics in the U.S. speak English proficiently, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.  In 2013, this group made up 68% of all Hispanics ages 5 and older, up from 59% in 2000.

At the same time that the share of Latinos who speak English proficiently is growing, the share that speaks Spanish at home has been declining over the last 13 years. In 2013, 73% of Latinos ages 5 and older said they speak Spanish at home, down from 78% who said the same in 2000. Despite this decline, a record 35.8 million Hispanics speak Spanish at home, a number that has continued to increase as the nation’s Hispanic population has grown.

These shifts coincide with the rise of U.S.-born Hispanics as a share of the nation’s Hispanic population and the slowdown in immigration to the U.S. from Latin America. In 2013, U.S.-born Hispanics outnumbered foreign-born Hispanics by nearly two-to-one—35 million to 19 million—and made up a growing share (65%) of the nation’s Hispanic population. They are also much younger, with a median age of 19 years compared with 40 among immigrant Hispanics. At the same time, immigration from Latin America, primarily Mexico, has slowed, leading to fewer Spanish-speaking new immigrant arrivals and a more settled U.S. Hispanic immigrant population.

Fully 89% of U.S.-born Latinos spoke English proficiently in 2013, up from 72% in 1980. This gain is due in part to the growing share of U.S.-born Latinos who live in households where only English is spoken. In 2013, 40% of U.S.-born Latinos, or 12 million people, lived in these households, up from 32% who did so in 1980. The gain in English proficiency is also due to the rising share of U.S.-born Latinos who live in households where Spanish (or another non-English language) is spoken, and who say they speak English “very well.” Half (49%) of U.S.-born Latinos say this, numbering 14.7 million, up from 40% who said the same in 1980.

By contrast, the share of foreign-born Latinos who speak English proficiently is little changed since 1980, even though the number that is English-proficient has grown. In 2013, 34% of foreign-born Latinos spoke English proficiently, numbering 6.5 million. In 1980, that share was 31% and numbered 1.3 million.

The report is accompanied by a statistical portrait of the nation’s Hispanic population. It features interactive charts and tables analyzing detailed characteristics of U.S. Hispanics at the national level, as well as state population totals, based on data from the Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey. Topics covered include age, citizenship, origin, language proficiency, living arrangements, marital status, fertility, schooling, health insurance coverage and employment. In addition, profiles of the Hispanic population in 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 document trends on key demographic and economic measures among Hispanics.

Report: http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/05/12/english-proficiency-on-the-rise-among-latinos/

Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the U.S.:  http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/05/12/statistical-portrait-of-hispanics-in-the-united-states-2013-key-charts/

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan “fact tank” that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.