Languages spoken in Iowa

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 Iowa

Table showing languages spoken in Iowa

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	2,864,943	515	85,841	1,935
Speak only English at home	2,657,355	2,468	(X)	(X)
Speak a language other than English at home	207,588	2,445	85,841	1,935
SPANISH AND SPANISH CREOLE	113,173	1,810	50,002	1,482
Spanish	113,175	1,810	50,000	1,482
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES	45,955	2,009	13,058	988
French (incl Patois, Cajun)	5,458	611	995	292
French	5,440	612	995	292
Patois	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cajun	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
French Creole	31	30	(B)	-
Italian	1,083	211	166	64
Portuguese (incl Portuguese Creole)	668	183	120	61
Portuguese	670	183	120	61
German (incl Luxembourgian)	12,482	925	2,615	390
German	12,465	926	2,615	390
Luxembourgian	20	14	(B)	-
Yiddish	253	150	86	97
Other West Germanic languages	3,773	649	1,126	325
Pennsylvania Dutch	2,015	563	875	307
Dutch	1,630	323	200	89
Afrikaans	125	102	50	62
Scandinavian languages	1,269	251	120	56
Swedish	220	93	25	26
Danish	425	145	40	30
Norwegian	565	177	55	30
Icelandic	55	45	(B)	-
Greek	562	250	69	44
Russian	1,936	436	637	158
Polish	522	130	147	75
Serbo-Croatian languages	8,635	960	4,003	598
Serbocroatian	7,965	923	3,795	583
Croatian	265	135	110	118
Serbian	405	238	100	73
Other Slavic languages	1,388	262	503	154
Ukrainian	595	220	315	129
Czech	620	124	100	50
Slovak	115	72	40	45
Bulgarian	60	52	45	43
Macedonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Armenian	122	94	71	82
Persian	327	130	107	82
Hindi	2,628	485	924	238
Gujarati	532	238	169	109
Urdu	806	335	164	109
Other Indic languages	2,353	654	729	259
India nec3	355	225	45	43
Bengali	200	118	50	57
Panjabi	330	168	55	42
Marathi	610	280	80	54
Assamese	10	17	(D)	(D)
Nepali	720	374	430	231
Pakistan nec3	50	88	40	70
Sinhalese	75	65	30	31
Other Indo-European languages	1,127	405	307	242
Jamaican Creole	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Romanian	245	150	30	38
Irish Gaelic	45	34	(B)	-
Scottic Gaelic	10	8	(B)	-
Albanian	455	280	225	234
Lithuanian	215	198	(D)	(D)
Latvian	90	77	(D)	(D)
Pashto	30	34	(D)	(D)
Kurdish	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES	36,717	1,158	18,565	805
Chinese (incl Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages4)	9,858	931	5,119	617
Chinese	8,290	871	4,215	554
Hakka	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Cantonese	335	208	130	84
Mandarin	875	287	470	192
Formosan	315	224	270	206
Japanese	1,142	198	361	121
Korean	3,037	565	1,904	455
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian	528	184	317	147
Hmong	299	193	135	125
Thai	1,679	594	831	302
Laotian	4,039	674	1,963	348
Vietnamese	7,499	800	4,886	557
Other Asian languages	5,044	704	1,862	428
Turkish	445	224	140	109
Mongolian	70	82	20	19
Dravidian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Telugu	1,600	387	325	137
Kannada	260	124	30	38
Malayalam	495	158	70	62
Tamil	890	311	195	120
Munda	10	11	(B)	-
Tibetan	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Burmese	330	150	305	151
Karen	905	344	780	312
Tagalog	2,348	382	676	181
Other Pacific Island languages	1,244	392	511	183
Indonesian	100	77	35	50
Malagasy	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Malay	265	243	145	140
Bisayan	15	10	(D)	(D)
Sebuano	70	50	40	42
Ilocano	35	28	(D)	(D)
Bikol	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Micronesian	215	169	55	42
Chamorro	165	229	(D)	(D)
Marshallese	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Mokilese	20	31	(D)	(D)
Palau	50	73	(B)	-
Ponapean	140	129	70	70
Samoan	45	49	(B)	-
Tongan	45	49	(D)	(D)
Hawaiian	50	43	45	43
ALL OTHER LANGUAGES	11,743	1,107	4,216	640
Navajo	39	33	(B)	-
Other Native North American languages	1,234	221	254	125
Aleut	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Inupik	55	54	(D)	(D)
Algonquian	390	116	45	24
Arapaho	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Blackfoot	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Fox	250	75	60	27
French Cree	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Ojibwa	15	24	(D)	(D)
Crow	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Dakota	205	79	(D)	(D)
Chiwere	30	36	(B)	-
Winnebago	30	24	(B)	-
Omaha	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Mikasuki	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Muskogee	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cherokee	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Mono	105	124	(D)	(D)
Tewa	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
American Indian	65	39	(D)	(D)
Hungarian	82	46	44	34
Arabic	4,593	789	1,815	474
Hebrew	268	136	(B)	-
African languages	5,056	695	1,954	468
Amharic	545	225	220	162
Berber	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Chadic	75	55	(D)	(D)
Cushite	480	254	350	178
Sudanic	640	328	310	151
Nilotic	315	141	40	40
Nilo-Hamitic	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Swahili	1,110	309	370	195
Bantu	930	414	420	241
Mande	125	104	35	36
Fulani	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba	525	212	85	72
Efik	100	151	(B)	-
Mbum (and related)	110	160	(D)	(D)
African	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Other and unspecified languages	471	190	149	104
Finnish	25	23	(D)	(D)
Estonian	25	28	(B)	-
Caucasian	80	100	40	50
Syriac	55	54	(D)	(D)
Mayan languages	75	89	75	89
Uncodable	210	113	(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.