This data brief from the U.S. Census Bureau reports data from the 2011 American Community Survey about language use in the United States. It provides useful background information for health care systems and providers to learn about the potential language assistance needs in their local service areas. Nationally, 41.8% of the over 60.5 million Americans aged 5 years and older, or over 25.3 million individuals, spoke English less than “very well” and are likely to need language assistance services when accessing and utilizing health care. The data brief also provides these data by state and major metropolitan areas.
Since this data brief was published, updated data from the 2012 and 2013 American Community Survey are now available.
Ignatius Bau 