The Spanish Language: The facts and figures – Part 2

Spanish is the second most used language in the United States. There are more Spanish speakers in the United States than there are speakers of Chinese, French, Italian, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 35.5 million people aged five or older.[1] There are 45 million Hispanics who speak Spanish as a first or second language,[2] as well as six million Spanish students,[3] composing the largest national Spanish-speaking community outside of Mexico.[4] The following table presents the Spanish speaking population of each U.S. state and territory and the percentage of that state or territory’s population Spanish speakers make up:

State or Territory                     # Spanish Speakers   % of Pop.

1. ^ ^{a b} “Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2007”. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
2. ^ Instituto Cervantes (Enciclopedia del español en Estados Unidos)
3. ^ Instituto Cervantes’ Yearbook 2006-07
4. ^ “Más ‘speak spanish’ que en España”. Retrieved 2007-10-06.