Languages spoken in Cook County, IL

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 Cook County [IL]

Table showing languages spoken in Cook County, IL

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	4,870,429	91	739,245	6,636
Speak only English at home	3,189,642	8,354	(X)	(X)
Speak a language other than English at home	1,680,787	8,353	739,245	6,636
SPANISH AND SPANISH CREOLE	991,493	5,613	448,869	4,580
Spanish	991,495	5,613	448,870	4,580
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES	416,231	5,835	173,526	3,771
French (incl Patois, Cajun)	18,595	1,359	3,943	550
French	18,265	1,377	3,905	550
Patois	315	105	40	29
Cajun	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
French Creole	4,098	743	1,200	307
Italian	22,651	1,341	7,577	651
Portuguese (incl Portuguese Creole)	3,182	515	717	176
Portuguese	3,180	515	715	176
German (incl Luxembourgian)	17,304	1,149	3,154	389
German	17,305	1,149	3,155	389
Yiddish	1,154	358	224	138
Other West Germanic languages	1,668	312	264	128
Dutch	1,550	307	265	128
Afrikaans	115	79	(B)	-
Scandinavian languages	1,541	261	220	119
Swedish	930	220	155	105
Danish	325	104	(D)	(D)
Norwegian	260	113	50	44
Icelandic	25	26	(B)	-
Greek	23,031	1,706	6,095	607
Russian	26,215	1,571	14,018	991
Polish	141,431	3,692	75,073	2,440
Serbo-Croatian languages	22,618	1,743	9,282	959
Serbocroatian	9,295	1,224	4,105	705
Croatian	3,335	542	1,005	258
Serbian	9,985	1,045	4,170	616
Other Slavic languages	22,336	1,679	10,868	1,053
Bielorussian	40	34	25	24
Ukrainian	9,475	1,055	5,190	766
Czech	1,850	404	710	246
Slovak	1,445	360	470	167
Bulgarian	8,420	1,133	4,005	675
Macedonian	855	265	370	185
Slovene	245	114	95	77
Armenian	2,222	594	881	354
Persian	3,342	699	1,107	310
Hindi	20,180	1,398	6,224	882
Gujarati	23,250	1,856	10,282	1,177
Urdu	22,583	1,916	7,274	946
Other Indic languages	11,489	1,286	4,397	798
India nec3	995	327	295	175
Bengali	3,545	889	1,550	625
Panjabi	2,525	622	1,220	413
Marathi	1,770	436	210	137
Bihari	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Rajasthani	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Oriya	185	133	(B)	-
Assamese	95	111	(D)	(D)
Kashmiri	65	63	(B)	-
Nepali	1,580	714	975	430
Sindhi	245	201	60	53
Pakistan nec3	165	149	(D)	(D)
Sinhalese	200	214	(D)	(D)
Romany	90	109	20	27
Other Indo-European languages	27,341	2,065	10,726	1,112
Jamaican Creole	555	297	65	65
Krio	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Pidgin	50	58	(B)	-
Catalonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Romanian	12,290	1,035	5,520	675
Irish Gaelic	1,150	395	135	73
Scottic Gaelic	75	61	(B)	-
Albanian	5,055	1,017	2,120	640
Lithuanian	6,970	915	2,645	550
Latvian	945	269	140	112
Pashto	100	82	55	45
Kurdish	95	70	45	50
Balochi	30	59	(B)	-
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES	190,201	3,302	88,968	2,364
Chinese (incl Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages4)	57,563	1,989	31,858	1,385
Chinese	39,185	1,778	22,490	1,333
Hakka	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Cantonese	11,355	1,064	6,605	722
Mandarin	5,970	603	2,235	339
Fuchow	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Formosan	1,010	284	500	166
Japanese	7,432	852	3,998	658
Korean	31,321	1,532	17,727	1,130
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian	2,103	725	1,245	502
Hmong	55	40	13	25
Thai	4,734	706	2,566	495
Laotian	1,009	394	578	237
Vietnamese	10,905	1,261	6,343	890
Other Asian languages	25,498	2,084	9,179	1,134
Kirghiz	105	153	100	153
Karachay	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Uighur	240	206	140	145
Azerbaijani	55	118	25	55
Turkish	2,465	563	835	223
Turkmen	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Mongolian	1,655	550	980	445
Tungus	105	121	75	88
Dravidian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Gondi	35	47	(B)	-
Telugu	5,275	880	1,175	323
Kannada	1,140	452	450	380
Malayalam	8,530	1,092	3,315	602
Tamil	4,220	672	850	273
Munda	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Tibetan	240	168	120	125
Burmese	1,255	520	1,010	431
Karen	70	74	(D)	(D)
Kachin	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Tagalog	46,510	2,357	14,601	1,098
Other Pacific Island languages	3,071	581	860	247
Indonesian	545	131	185	83
Achinese	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Malay	810	347	245	145
Bisayan	580	252	195	126
Sebuano	485	232	105	66
Pangasinan	40	61	(D)	(D)
Ilocano	225	202	90	78
Pampangan	110	67	35	30
Chamorro	240	169	(B)	-
Melanesian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Samoan	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Marquesan	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
ALL OTHER LANGUAGES	82,862	3,999	27,882	2,247
Navajo	38	58	12	18
Other Native North American languages	343	138	43	47
Cree	35	57	(D)	(D)
Menomini	20	29	(B)	-
Kuchin	35	34	(B)	-
Yuma	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Dakota	75	59	(B)	-
Winnebago	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Kansa	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Choctaw	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Oneida	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cherokee	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Caddo	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Tiwa	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
American Indian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Hungarian	1,518	327	602	216
Arabic	41,460	2,600	14,855	1,573
Hebrew	4,843	777	618	253
African languages	20,637	1,842	5,838	1,038
Amharic	3,185	721	1,340	460
Berber	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Chadic	395	214	(D)	(D)
Cushite	1,065	473	705	417
Sudanic	385	303	(D)	(D)
Nilotic	40	35	25	30
Swahili	955	267	55	48
Bantu	875	363	150	87
Mande	280	237	85	103
Fulani	400	187	125	75
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba	12,400	1,452	2,840	752
Efik	165	127	(D)	(D)
African	465	411	360	407
Other and unspecified languages	14,023	1,866	5,914	995
Finnish	265	147	(D)	(D)
Estonian	105	82	(D)	(D)
Caucasian	115	88	90	73
Syriac	13,265	1,858	5,785	991
Mayan languages	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Arawakian	175	184	(B)	-
Uncodable	50	50	(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.