Main Languages Spoken at Home by U.S. Residents Aged Five Years and Older, 2008–2010

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. residents speak more than 350 languages. Among those who report speaking a language other than English, nearly two-thirds speak Spanish. And the languages spoken by U.S. residents are not evenly distributed geographically around the country. In many regions, English is the only language spoken by more than 95% of the population; in other parts of the country, a language other than English is the primary language for more than half the population.

A small but very important portion of the non-English languages spoken in the United States includes the 169 Native American and Alaskan indigenous languages, which are listed as vulnerable or critically endangered by UNESCO (indicating that the language is only spoken in limited domains, such as at home, or is no longer used or taught as the mother tongue). A number of flourishing language reclamation projects are attempting to increase the number of speakers of Native American and indigenous languages in years to come.