MLA Language Map
A Map of Languages in the United States
The MLA Language Map is for students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about the linguistic and cultural composition of the United States. The Language Map uses aggregated data from the 2011–2015 American Community Survey (ACS) to display the locations and numbers of speakers of twelve languages commonly spoken in the United States. Data from the MLA's 2021 census of enrollments in languages other than English indicate where these languages are taught in colleges and universities. The Language Map Data Center provides information about over three hundred languages spoken in the United States, using data from the 2006–10 ACS, ACS 2005, and the 2000 US Census. Comparative tables and graphs provide a snapshot of changes between 2000 and 2010 in American language communities, showing speakers’ ages and ability to speak English.
View the Map
View an interactive map showing the percentages and numbers of speakers of the selected languages. Select a county, state, or institution, or click the map to zoom in on a region. Add or remove layers: Select Institutional Enrollments to add to the map the locations of all colleges and universities that teach the languages; click on the institutions to see fall 2021 undergraduate and graduate enrollments. Select Predominant Language to see the most spoken language in each county.
Go to the Data Center
Visit the data center for ACS and Census information about numbers and ages of speakers of languages in a specific state, county, zip code, metropolitan area, town, or county subdivision or to view charts that illustrate the distribution by percentage of the languages in each state. Compare speakers of different languages by three age groups: 5–17, 18–64, and 65 and over. Compare Americans who speak other languages by their ability to speak English. Compare statewide and county data for 2000 and 2010.
Enrollment Data
Visit the Language Enrollment Database, 1958–2021, to create tables about language enrollments in US colleges and universities drawing on data from the MLA's twenty-six enrollment censuses.
MLA Language Map FAQ
Find out about the US Census and the ACS—the sources of the MLA Language Map data. Follow links to census publications, to data about migration and immigration and about language teaching in colleges and universities in the United States, and to information about where specific languages are spoken outside the United States.
How to Use the MLA Language Map
Learn how to use the MLA Language Map, including how to find the most commonly spoken languages in a county, how to view an institution’s language enrollments data, and more.