Languages spoken in Minnesota

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 Minnesota

Table showing languages spoken in Minnesota

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	4,996,324	377	212,464	3,610
Speak only English at home	4,460,951	5,182	(X)	(X)
Speak a language other than English at home	535,373	5,146	212,464	3,610
SPANISH AND SPANISH CREOLE	192,113	2,629	84,219	2,264
Spanish	192,115	2,629	84,220	2,264
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES	105,432	2,725	25,017	1,130
French (incl Patois, Cajun)	14,925	941	2,669	359
French	14,765	937	2,655	359
Patois	105	64	15	16
Cajun	55	66	(B)	-
French Creole	1,088	388	330	163
Italian	2,503	402	499	131
Portuguese (incl Portuguese Creole)	2,414	385	331	112
Portuguese	2,415	385	330	112
German (incl Luxembourgian)	24,277	921	4,165	353
German	24,275	921	4,165	353
Yiddish	145	81	(B)	-
Other West Germanic languages	2,406	323	593	159
Pennsylvania Dutch	795	214	380	149
Dutch	1,315	212	170	54
Afrikaans	300	113	45	40
Scandinavian languages	7,965	403	877	118
Swedish	2,440	353	210	66
Danish	770	181	135	55
Norwegian	4,665	340	530	100
Icelandic	90	59	(D)	(D)
Greek	1,142	272	114	60
Russian	14,039	1,143	6,479	647
Polish	2,923	403	605	143
Serbo-Croatian languages	3,948	728	1,570	342
Serbocroatian	3,180	663	1,395	339
Croatian	275	123	45	46
Serbian	490	183	135	84
Other Slavic languages	4,074	515	1,164	248
Bielorussian	65	63	55	58
Ukrainian	1,830	413	800	236
Czech	1,380	214	185	71
Slovak	290	122	(D)	(D)
Bulgarian	305	120	90	66
Macedonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Slovene	175	94	15	13
Armenian	32	24	21	26
Persian	1,653	367	550	223
Hindi	6,998	918	1,109	288
Gujarati	1,894	561	487	228
Urdu	2,660	724	600	296
Other Indic languages	6,655	832	1,946	527
India nec3	555	304	225	205
Bengali	1,850	430	305	156
Panjabi	840	408	290	230
Marathi	785	220	70	62
Oriya	235	165	(D)	(D)
Assamese	65	68	(B)	-
Nepali	1,675	447	930	355
Sindhi	65	66	(D)	(D)
Pakistan nec3	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Sinhalese	570	186	80	60
Other Indo-European languages	3,691	752	908	273
Jamaican Creole	100	52	(D)	(D)
Krio	185	116	60	67
Pidgin	80	60	(D)	(D)
Catalonian	70	51	(B)	-
Romanian	1,400	578	410	216
Welsh	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Irish Gaelic	120	68	25	25
Scottic Gaelic	20	17	(D)	(D)
Albanian	365	182	110	69
Lithuanian	100	60	25	35
Latvian	795	257	100	72
Pashto	115	100	75	63
Kurdish	320	207	75	73
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES	151,280	2,585	70,901	1,949
Chinese (incl Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages4)	21,193	1,278	9,187	872
Chinese	16,730	1,137	7,495	756
Cantonese	1,555	357	655	210
Mandarin	2,645	461	945	297
Formosan	260	117	90	74
Japanese	3,743	496	1,406	273
Korean	6,000	892	2,737	437
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian	5,732	983	3,039	516
Hmong	55,037	2,294	24,674	1,490
Thai	2,226	537	1,271	450
Laotian	9,900	913	4,954	593
Vietnamese	21,640	1,622	13,324	1,150
Other Asian languages	18,333	1,810	7,831	1,178
Kazakh	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Uighur	55	92	30	46
Azerbaijani	30	34	(D)	(D)
Turkish	765	281	285	167
Mongolian	40	46	(D)	(D)
Telugu	4,930	876	850	330
Kannada	750	278	85	71
Malayalam	1,365	424	165	98
Tamil	3,585	656	870	373
Tibetan	1,295	410	685	260
Burmese	1,000	381	790	338
Karen	4,490	908	4,045	847
Tagalog	5,633	561	1,764	330
Other Pacific Island languages	1,843	327	714	185
Indonesian	360	148	180	112
Malagasy	35	41	(D)	(D)
Malay	115	79	50	61
Bisayan	230	107	95	62
Sebuano	235	104	85	59
Ilocano	80	68	45	36
Bikol	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Pampangan	80	105	(D)	(D)
Micronesian	45	64	(D)	(D)
Chamorro	80	54	(D)	(D)
Kusaiean	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Mokilese	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Palau	20	21	(D)	(D)
Trukese	75	8	50	20
Yapese	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Melanesian	60	60	(D)	(D)
Samoan	165	81	70	63
Tongan	10	12	(B)	-
Fijian	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Hawaiian	140	123	(B)	-
ALL OTHER LANGUAGES	86,548	3,069	32,327	1,583
Navajo	84	113	2	4
Other Native North American languages	6,028	581	513	129
Aleut	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Inupik	30	46	(B)	-
Blackfoot	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cheyenne	80	81	(B)	-
Fox	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Menomini	4	7	(B)	-
Ojibwa	4,565	462	400	123
Kuchin	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Apache	40	55	(B)	-
Nez Perce	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Diegueno	40	48	(B)	-
Hidatsa	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Dakota	750	224	50	36
Muskogee	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Seneca	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Cherokee	25	37	(D)	(D)
American Indian	375	197	45	29
Hungarian	467	155	44	45
Arabic	9,732	1,181	3,082	550
Hebrew	1,119	264	113	56
African languages	64,537	2,466	27,046	1,290
Amharic	9,490	1,009	4,395	504
Berber	45	55	(D)	(D)
Chadic	245	124	70	78
Cushite	38,135	2,032	18,500	1,124
Sudanic	530	375	140	115
Nilotic	970	348	315	163
Nilo-Hamitic	170	149	(B)	-
Swahili	4,360	741	1,025	287
Bantu	1,935	558	315	175
Mande	1,640	511	500	208
Fulani	230	122	55	42
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba	6,425	781	1,555	326
Efik	205	165	55	67
African	150	110	100	98
Other and unspecified languages	4,581	481	1,527	329
Finnish	3,175	358	595	146
Estonian	100	60	30	25
Caucasian	45	50	30	34
Basque	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Syriac	50	41	(D)	(D)
Mayan languages	955	349	760	290
Oto - Manguen	4	12	4	12
Quechua	75	113	70	112
Arawakian	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Uncodable	90	50	(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.