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Demographic Information

Finding U.S. Census Bureau Data on Language and Origin

The table below shows how to find information based on your topic of interest.

Topic Geographical Area Source
Home speakers of a language other than English (39 languages/ groups included) from nation to census tract

Table B16001 (Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English).

Quick version: start at American Fact Finder and follow instructions. For more details, see Tutorial #1.
Foreign born population same as above

Table B05006 (Place of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population); over 108 countries listed.

To get there, start at American Fact Finder. For help, use Tutorial #1 and type in B05006.

Info on speakers of languages not listed in Table B16001 nation and state
(+ District of Columbia) only		 Table 1 (Detailed Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Older by States). 300+ languages listed. Available here; click on "Detailed Tables."
Modifying Table B16001 to list languages by # of speakers from nation to census tract Quick version: use the sort feature either in Excel or Word. For more more details, see Tutorial #2.
Percent of LOTE speakers and the foreign born

for nation, state,
county, city

 Census Bureau's "Quick Facts," available here
Same as above from nation
to census tract		 Table DP02 (Selected Social Characteristics) from American Fact Finder; if you need help, use Tutorial #1.
Ancestry from nation
to census tract

a) Table B04001 (First Ancestry Reported)
b) Table B04002 (Second Ancestry Reported)
c) Table B04003 (Any Ancestry Reported)

To find these tables, start at American Fact Finder

Notes

  1. The source for all tables, except for "Quick Facts" and Table 1, is American Fact Finder. Tutorial #1 can be used for all American Fact Finder tables.
  2. When you search for a table, you can choose from 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year estimates. You may choose any/all of them, but the 5-year estimate is recommended for two reasons:
    a) It is the only one with enough data to report on geographies smaller than about 300,000 persons, and
    b) It is considered the most accurate of all estimates.
Other Resources
  1. U.S. Census Bureau Home Page
  2. Census Bureau's Language Use page. This page links to Table 1 (detailed language spoken at home) and includes other worthwhile tables and reports.
  3. Latest Questionnaire used in the American Community Survey, the Census Bureau's souce of data on language and origin
  4. American Community Survey's reports on the foreign born, including The Newly Arrived Foreign Born Population of the U.S.
  5. State Departments of Education. Some of them, including California's DataQuest, provide useful data, others do not. It's worth checking for your state.
  6. The Pew Hispanic Center has an excellent web page with data on people of Hispanic origin in the U.S.

 

Please contact me with questions or suggestions: sbauckus@international.ucla.edu