Participation in Education

Elementary/Secondary Enrollment

Table A-6-3. Number and percentage of children ages 5-17 who spoke a language other than English at home and who spoke English with difficulty, by language spoken, region, and state or jurisdiction: 2009

[Numbers in thousands]
Region and state or jurisdiction	Total, ages 5–17	Spoke a language other than English at home
		Number	Percent	Spoke English with difficulty
				Total, ages 5–17				Percentage distribution by type of language spoken
				Number		Percent		Spanish		Other Indo-European1		Asian/Pacific Islander2		Other
				Number		Percent		Spanish		Other Indo-European1		Asian/Pacific Islander2		Other
United States	53,300	11,204	21.0	2,654		5.0		73.5		10.5		12.6		3.5
Northeast	9,054	1,879	20.8	410		4.5		53.4		25.6		15.1		5.8
Connecticut	599	111	18.6	20		3.3		57.8		19.2		21.8		‡
Maine	202	12	6.0	5	!	2.5	!	19.6	!	28.1	!	‡		51.4
Massachusetts	1,048	208	19.8	43		4.1		51.4		28.3		15.5		4.8
New Hampshire	214	18	8.5	5		2.4		52.9		23.1	!	‡		‡
New Jersey	1,493	399	26.8	73		4.9		65.4		17.2		13.5		3.9
New York	3,205	877	27.4	204		6.4		50.7		26.2		16.6		6.5
Pennsylvania	2,031	214	10.5	51		2.5		45.3		39.0		12.2		3.5	!
Rhode Island	167	36	21.4	8		4.6		88.1		‡		‡		‡
Vermont	94	4	4.5	‡		‡		‡		#		‡		#

Midwest	11,563	1,349	11.7	331		2.9		62.1		16.3		14.6		7.0
Illinois	2,284	523	22.9	125		5.5		78.5		10.2		7.9		3.4
Indiana	1,143	93	8.1	27		2.3		63.6		23.3		12.8		‡
Iowa	511	41	8.0	8		1.6		71.7		14.9	!	10.4	!	‡
Kansas	495	59	11.9	13		2.7		79.6		7.6	!	10.2	!	‡
Michigan	1,733	169	9.7	34		1.9		42.9		23.6		14.1		19.3
Minnesota	892	111	12.4	30		3.4		32.8		13.1		43.0		11.2
Missouri	1,024	69	6.8	19		1.8		48.7		26.2		12.7		12.3	!
Nebraska	314	36	11.6	11		3.6		72.9		‡		16.4		10.5	!
North Dakota	100	5	5.2	2		1.9		51.3	!	‡		#		27.6	!
Ohio	1,978	133	6.7	32		1.6		45.1		34.1		10.1		10.8
South Dakota	140	9	6.1	2		1.5		40.1	!	‡		‡		‡
Wisconsin	949	101	10.7	28		2.9		57.2		16.2		26.0		0.6

South	19,847	3,658	18.4	878		4.4		81.9		7.8		8.4		2.0
Alabama	813	43	5.3	10		1.2		70.2		‡		16.7	!	‡
Arkansas	505	50	9.9	11		2.3		82.5		7.7	!	8.9	!	‡
Delaware	148	16	11.1	3		1.8		74.1		9.2	!	16.7	!	#
District of Columbia	75	9	11.5	3		3.5		72.6		20.1	!	#		‡
Florida	2,895	756	26.1	145		5.0		74.7		18.7		5.6		1.0	!
Georgia	1,839	250	13.6	53		2.9		74.9		7.4		15.7		2.1	!
Kentucky	729	38	5.1	11		1.5		54.0		21.4		20.6		‡
Louisiana	806	44	5.5	8		1.0		67.7		8.1	!	24.3		#
Maryland	970	149	15.3	34		3.5		54.9		20.3		19.8		5.1
Mississippi	544	19	3.5	5		1.0		78.9		‡		‡		‡
North Carolina	1,619	200	12.4	51		3.1		78.9		6.7		11.1		3.3	!
Oklahoma	649	62	9.6	13		2.1		88.3		5.5	!	5.8	!	‡
South Carolina	767	57	7.4	16		2.0		74.7		10.6		9.6	!	‡
Tennessee	1,068	75	7.1	17		1.6		75.9		11.0		9.6	!	‡
Texas	4,823	1,706	35.4	458		9.5		90.9		2.7		4.9		1.5
Virginia	1,322	177	13.4	39		2.9		58.5		12.4		25.7		3.4	!
West Virginia	277	7	2.5	3		1.0		68.6		‡		‡		‡

West	12,836	4,318	33.6	1,035		8.1		77.9		4.9		14.5		2.7
Alaska	130	21	16.4	4		3.2		‡		‡		36.6		54.2
Arizona	1,214	373	30.7	76		6.3		83.4		3.8		4.2		8.6
California	6,686	2,995	44.8	717		10.7		80.2		3.7		14.9		1.2
Colorado	864	164	19.0	41		4.7		81.3		5.1		10.7		2.8	!
Hawaii	200	30	15.2	9		4.7		‡		‡		91.2		‡
Idaho	296	32	11.0	9		2.9		65.6		‡		19.8	!	12.4	!
Montana	159	6	3.6	1	!	0.8	!	‡		60.4	!	‡		‡
Nevada	483	153	31.7	43		8.9		84.3		4.2	!	‡		3.1	!
New Mexico	362	110	30.5	21		5.8		91.4		2.2	!	‡		‡
Oregon	631	126	20.0	30		4.7		74.1		8.1		12.3		‡
Utah	598	73	12.2	17		2.8		74.2		7.1	!	15.0	!	‡
Washington	1,122	227	20.3	65		5.8		57.3		18.4		19.0		5.3	!
Wyoming	90	5	5.7	1	!	1.5	!	‡		‡		‡		#
# Rounds to zero.
! Interpret with caution. The standard error of the estimate is equal to 30 percent or more of the estimate’s value.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
¹ An Indo-European language other than Spanish (e.g., French, German, Portuguese, etc.).
² Any native spoken language that linguists classify variously as a Sino-Tibetan, Austroasiatic, or Austronesian language.
NOTE: Respondents were asked whether each child in the household spoke a language other than English at home. Those who answered "yes" were asked how well each child could speak English using the following categories: "very well," "well," "not well," and "not at all." All children who were reported to speak English less than "very well" were considered to have difficulty speaking English. A Spanish-language version of the American Community Survey (ACS) was available to respondents. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. For more information on geographic region, see supplemental note 1. For more information on the ACS, see supplemental note 3.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2009.

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