Languages spoken in Illinois

In October 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau released the "2009-2013 American Community Survey" which provides information on "languages spoken at home" and "ability to speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over" for the United States as a whole, states including Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., selected counties, and selected cities and urban areas. The following provides aggregated survey information on languages spoken in Illinois

Table showing languages spoken in Illinois

Population 5 years and over
Speak only English at home
Speak a language other than English at home
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

French (incl. Patois, Cajun)

French Creole

Italian

Portuguese (incl. Portuguese Creole)

German (incl. Luxembourgian)

Yiddish

Other West Germanic languages

Scandinavian languages

Greek

Russian

Polish

Serbo-Croatian languages

Other Slavic languages

Other Indic languages

Other Indo-European languages

ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES

Chinese (incl. Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages)

Other Asian languages

Tagalog

Other Pacific Island languages

ALL OTHER LANGUAGES

Navajo

Other Native North American languages

Other and unspecified languages

BY STATE
BY COUNTY
BY CITY

Language	Number of speakers	Margin of Error	Speak English less than "Very Well"	Margin of Error
Population 5 years and over	12,027,783	470	1,131,389	8,843
Speak only English at home	9,342,837	12,175	(X)	(X)
Speak a language other than English at home	2,684,946	12,160	1,131,389	8,843
SPANISH AND SPANISH CREOLE	1,570,809	6,916	704,908	5,861
Spanish	1,570,810	6,916	704,910	5,861
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES	670,517	8,255	246,768	4,673
French (incl Patois, Cajun)	35,613	1,773	8,065	851
French	35,005	1,799	8,015	851
Patois	540	155	50	30
Cajun	65	66	(D)	(D)
French Creole	4,727	826	1,285	333
Italian	40,223	1,797	11,450	809
Portuguese (incl Portuguese Creole)	6,699	851	1,341	244
Portuguese	6,650	840	1,340	244
Papia Mentae	50	71	(B)	-
German (incl Luxembourgian)	45,782	1,929	7,550	659
German	45,780	1,929	7,550	659
Yiddish	1,372	379	240	142
Other West Germanic languages	6,411	652	1,240	286
Pennsylvania Dutch	2,315	507	655	252
Dutch	3,440	440	515	183
Afrikaans	655	255	70	68
Scandinavian languages	3,508	456	444	144
Swedish	1,950	309	245	116
Danish	715	147	70	64
Norwegian	820	252	130	70
Icelandic	25	26	(B)	-
Greek	33,302	2,143	8,438	747
Russian	41,404	1,992	19,575	1,215
Polish	185,121	4,705	91,438	2,828
Serbo-Croatian languages	31,264	2,214	12,478	1,208
Serbocroatian	11,720	1,426	5,040	788
Croatian	4,910	653	1,440	286
Serbian	14,635	1,287	6,000	766
Other Slavic languages	33,507	2,287	14,965	1,349
Bielorussian	105	52	60	36
Ukrainian	13,200	1,273	6,370	820
Czech	4,210	837	1,750	580
Slovak	2,340	432	825	237
Bulgarian	10,885	1,354	5,040	791
Macedonian	2,150	467	735	259
Slovene	615	207	185	95
Armenian	2,794	633	1,047	390
Persian	6,628	872	1,971	414
Hindi	37,982	2,000	9,678	928
Gujarati	41,596	2,556	17,563	1,509
Urdu	42,613	2,464	11,901	1,081
Other Indic languages	24,508	1,697	8,338	1,019
India nec3	2,595	565	950	371
Bengali	5,980	1,025	2,220	711
Panjabi	6,585	939	2,310	509
Marathi	4,365	655	595	225
Bihari	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Rajasthani	35	45	(B)	-
Oriya	265	144	(D)	(D)
Assamese	110	112	30	36
Kashmiri	65	63	(B)	-
Nepali	3,135	819	1,885	485
Sindhi	445	223	90	63
Pakistan nec3	360	199	90	78
Sinhalese	445	247	125	96
Romany	95	110	20	27
Other Indo-European languages	45,463	2,862	17,761	1,445
Jamaican Creole	670	316	70	67
Krio	40	48	(B)	-
Pidgin	80	66	(B)	-
Catalonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Romanian	16,340	1,241	7,035	757
Welsh	145	106	(D)	(D)
Irish Gaelic	1,560	438	135	72
Scottic Gaelic	110	77	(B)	-
Albanian	9,685	1,335	4,230	793
Lithuanian	14,415	1,502	5,555	736
Latvian	1,535	298	200	122
Pashto	640	436	385	331
Kurdish	195	122	130	100
Balochi	30	59	(B)	-
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES	331,327	4,322	144,481	3,437
Chinese (incl Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages4)	94,966	2,953	50,122	2,055
Chinese	65,740	2,496	35,685	1,782
Hakka	40	44	(D)	(D)
Cantonese	13,905	1,248	7,615	791
Mandarin	12,820	963	5,565	701
Fuchow	35	49	20	36
Formosan	2,395	468	1,210	293
Wu	30	29	(B)	-
Japanese	12,611	1,007	6,079	731
Korean	49,323	2,166	27,057	1,532
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian	3,650	865	1,918	550
Hmong	415	215	118	71
Thai	7,266	823	3,818	567
Laotian	3,931	671	2,298	429
Vietnamese	20,907	1,510	12,489	1,085
Other Asian languages	51,963	2,443	16,079	1,227
Kirghiz	145	165	130	158
Karachay	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Uighur	260	199	155	139
Azerbaijani	115	160	55	75
Turkish	4,325	721	1,515	304
Turkmen	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Mongolian	2,185	591	1,405	475
Tungus	105	121	75	88
Dravidian	60	61	(B)	-
Gondi	80	72	(D)	(D)
Telugu	14,355	1,299	2,950	471
Kannada	2,710	597	650	416
Malayalam	13,980	1,358	4,680	754
Tamil	10,265	1,192	1,975	402
Munda	80	85	(D)	(D)
Tibetan	240	168	125	125
Burmese	1,975	565	1,550	454
Karen	1,000	398	730	329
Kachin	45	59	45	59
Mien	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Tagalog	80,655	2,889	22,988	1,523
Other Pacific Island languages	5,640	738	1,515	298
Indonesian	1,135	228	345	120
Achinese	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Javanese	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Malay	1,005	370	280	153
Bisayan	1,175	358	320	173
Sebuano	1,035	312	255	112
Pangasinan	40	61	(D)	(D)
Ilocano	435	226	220	116
Bikol	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Pampangan	115	69	40	32
Micronesian	10	14	(D)	(D)
Chamorro	340	181	(B)	-
Palau	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Melanesian	45	59	(B)	-
Samoan	190	93	(D)	(D)
Tongan	25	34	(B)	-
Fijian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Marquesan	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Hawaiian	40	47	(D)	(D)
ALL OTHER LANGUAGES	112,293	4,586	35,232	2,441
Navajo	53	61	12	18
Other Native North American languages	799	192	123	98
Inupik	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Algonquian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cree	40	56	(D)	(D)
Delaware	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Menomini	30	30	(D)	(D)
Ojibwa	30	33	(B)	-
Kuchin	55	47	(D)	(D)
Yuma	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Crow	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Hidatsa	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Dakota	225	111	(D)	(D)
Winnebago	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Kansa	15	24	(B)	-
Omaha	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Choctaw	65	46	(B)	-
Oneida	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cherokee	60	33	(B)	-
Caddo	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Tiwa	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
American Indian	75	53	(D)	(D)
Hungarian	2,928	434	1,137	290
Arabic	56,524	3,451	18,865	1,775
Hebrew	6,666	886	880	284
African languages	29,473	2,094	7,758	1,150
Amharic	3,985	756	1,495	467
Berber	60	69	(D)	(D)
Chadic	395	214	(D)	(D)
Cushite	1,065	473	705	417
Sudanic	525	363	95	80
Nilotic	70	53	25	30
Swahili	1,925	632	335	237
Bantu	1,675	457	290	104
Mande	500	333	85	103
Fulani	590	258	265	154
Gur	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba	17,940	1,670	3,955	803
Efik	185	130	(D)	(D)
Mbum (and related)	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
African	545	413	410	407
Other and unspecified languages	15,850	1,960	6,457	1,046
Finnish	510	189	70	63
Estonian	330	140	65	53
Caucasian	265	140	125	79
Basque	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Syriac	14,365	1,936	6,165	1,041
Mayan languages	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Arawakian	175	184	(B)	-
Tupi-Guarani	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Uncodable	110	64	(D)	(D)

Notes

Number of speakers and Speak English less than "Very Well": Detailed-language estimates are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Aggregate estimates ("language category" and "language sub-category" entries) are unrounded and appear in table B16001. Detailed-language estimates may not sum to aggregate estimates because of rounding.
Margin of Error and Margin of Error: Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data. The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.
(D): Data withheld to avoid disclosure.
(B): Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute an estimate.
(X): Question does not apply.
-: Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute a standard error and thus the margin of error. A statistical test is not appropriate.
3 N.E.C. stands for not elsewhere classified. These are languages where respondents indicated they spoke either Indian or Pakistan. For Indian, it cannot be determined if the respondent spoke a native American language or spoke a language from India. For Pakistan, respondents wrote in Pakistan but it cannot be determined which one of the languages spoken in Pakistan is actually being spoken. To distinguish these languages, n.e.c. is used to indicated they are not classified in any other language code.
This category includes literal write-ins of Chinese as well as Hakka, Kan, Hsiang, Cantonese, Mandarin, Fuchow, Formosan, and Wu.

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