Languages spoken in Alameda County, CA

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 Alameda County [CA]

Table showing languages spoken in Alameda County, CA

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	1,437,726	6	269,002	3,935
Speak only English at home	817,782	4,143	(X)	(X)
Speak a language other than English at home	619,944	4,144	269,002	3,935
SPANISH AND SPANISH CREOLE	241,152	2,835	111,141	2,484
Spanish	241,150	2,835	111,140	2,484
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES	103,117	3,287	26,631	1,599
French (incl Patois, Cajun)	7,070	665	1,007	248
French	6,915	642	1,005	248
Patois	145	184	(B)	-
Cajun	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
French Creole	271	170	80	67
Italian	2,785	454	647	189
Portuguese (incl Portuguese Creole)	6,308	957	1,715	349
Portuguese	6,310	957	1,715	349
German (incl Luxembourgian)	4,909	575	502	164
German	4,910	575	500	164
Yiddish	151	75	23	27
Other West Germanic languages	1,144	264	102	69
Dutch	1,005	256	100	69
Afrikaans	140	66	(B)	-
Scandinavian languages	1,125	231	34	32
Swedish	450	121	(D)	(D)
Danish	270	121	(B)	-
Norwegian	370	171	(B)	-
Icelandic	40	55	(D)	(D)
Greek	1,433	383	203	83
Russian	4,048	614	1,741	351
Polish	949	289	355	155
Serbo-Croatian languages	1,574	523	377	160
Serbocroatian	780	313	300	148
Croatian	500	351	30	34
Serbian	290	159	45	42
Other Slavic languages	905	286	266	166
Bielorussian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Ukrainian	235	224	75	92
Czech	320	136	45	37
Slovak	120	97	(B)	-
Bulgarian	180	178	150	175
Macedonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Slovene	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Armenian	1,030	341	195	100
Persian	11,431	1,294	4,594	645
Hindi	26,535	1,849	4,590	691
Gujarati	6,288	992	1,695	395
Urdu	3,980	857	973	339
Other Indic languages	18,298	1,881	6,532	939
India nec3	455	251	255	185
Bengali	2,050	515	440	170
Panjabi	11,255	1,617	4,570	835
Marathi	2,345	611	235	104
Rajasthani	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Assamese	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Kashmiri	55	57	(D)	(D)
Nepali	1,470	463	865	301
Sindhi	240	139	55	42
Pakistan nec3	180	114	80	69
Sinhalese	175	137	(D)	(D)
Romany	40	66	(B)	-
Other Indo-European languages	2,883	575	1,000	273
Jamaican Creole	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Krio	55	64	(D)	(D)
Pidgin	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Catalonian	50	47	(B)	-
Romanian	1,075	350	345	152
Irish Gaelic	180	110	(D)	(D)
Albanian	65	67	(D)	(D)
Lithuanian	80	121	40	64
Latvian	250	117	25	21
Pashto	1,040	383	510	220
Kurdish	40	39	(D)	(D)
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES	259,120	3,455	125,655	3,210
Chinese (incl Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages4)	119,759	3,168	69,344	2,334
Chinese	69,165	2,986	40,515	2,055
Hakka	45	46	45	46
Cantonese	31,050	1,687	18,895	1,130
Mandarin	17,450	1,090	8,770	782
Formosan	1,915	470	1,030	313
Wu	135	104	80	85
Japanese	6,476	968	2,814	527
Korean	13,597	1,344	7,412	863
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian	3,481	631	1,909	462
Hmong	552	381	269	239
Thai	1,842	449	814	267
Laotian	1,467	497	932	346
Vietnamese	26,130	2,167	14,656	1,200
Other Asian languages	23,576	1,666	6,172	728
Kazakh	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Uighur	110	138	110	138
Turkish	625	214	215	129
Mongolian	495	252	315	173
Dravidian	60	70	(B)	-
Gondi	45	71	(D)	(D)
Telugu	6,690	885	1,170	336
Kannada	1,375	414	180	100
Malayalam	2,145	692	315	195
Tamil	6,800	849	985	364
Tibetan	690	328	350	206
Burmese	2,890	693	1,650	462
Karen	110	126	110	126
Mien	1,520	552	745	263
Tagalog	54,672	2,146	18,775	1,365
Other Pacific Island languages	7,568	882	2,558	418
Indonesian	1,015	300	470	199
Javanese	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Malay	60	37	(D)	(D)
Bisayan	630	244	185	120
Sebuano	175	115	75	57
Pangasinan	115	96	90	89
Ilocano	1,075	312	450	181
Pampangan	655	323	270	144
Chamorro	265	141	40	48
Palau	85	94	45	60
Polynesian	35	33	(D)	(D)
Samoan	1,510	439	220	91
Tongan	1,290	423	515	231
Fijian	430	224	135	120
Hawaiian	195	159	45	48
ALL OTHER LANGUAGES	16,555	1,515	5,575	712
Navajo	144	132	26	38
Other Native North American languages	306	140	66	75
Inupik	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Ottawa	35	44	(D)	(D)
Other Athapascan-Eyak	20	34	(B)	-
Apache	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Pomo	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Tonkawa	15	23	(D)	(D)
Dakota	60	59	(B)	-
Winnebago	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Choctaw	10	11	(D)	(D)
Cherokee	45	60	(B)	-
Pima	40	28	(B)	-
Hungarian	720	316	209	130
Arabic	6,836	1,112	2,134	427
Hebrew	1,253	388	195	117
African languages	6,591	828	2,531	455
Amharic	3,460	676	1,620	385
Berber	140	97	125	93
Cushite	165	150	75	77
Nilotic	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Saharan	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Nilo-Saharan	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Swahili	955	331	270	171
Bantu	245	134	55	61
Mande	40	44	(D)	(D)
Fulani	70	70	(D)	(D)
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba	1,355	359	265	144
Efik	75	64	(D)	(D)
African	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Other and unspecified languages	705	331	414	277
Finnish	125	75	(D)	(D)
Estonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Caucasian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Basque	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Syriac	95	78	(D)	(D)
Aztecan	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Mayan languages	360	295	300	262
Arawakian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-

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.