Census: 27% of Nevadans don’t speak only English at home

By Tim Richardson

Published Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008 | 10:35 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008 | 2:35 p.m.

More than one in four Nevadans speak a language other than English at home, according to an estimate released today.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey said 27.4 percent of Nevadans don't speak just English at home. The Silver State took the No. 7 spot on the list, which is an estimate from data collected in 2007.

California topped the list, with 42.6 percent of its residents speaking a language at home other than English. New Mexico, Texas, New York, Arizona and New Jersey also had larger proportions than Nevada.

Nationwide, 19.7 percent of residents speak a language at home other than English.

The Census Bureau said respondents were asked to report whether they sometimes or always spoke a language other than English at home. Most people who reported speaking a language other than English at home also speak English, the Census Bureau said.

Separate questions identified the level of ability to speak English. About 13 percent of Nevada residents speak English less than "very well," according to the figures released today.

Nevada ranked No. 4 among states with the highest proportion of foreign-born residents. The American Community Survey data show 19.4 percent of Nevadans were born outside the country. Only California (27.4 percent), New York and New Jersey had a higher proportion of foreign-born residents.

The Census Bureau estimated that 38.1 million residents of the country, or 12.6 percent, weren't born in the United States. About 31 percent of foreign-born residents were born in Mexico.

Numbers released today also show that a lower proportion of current Nevada residents were born in the state than any other state in the country. The Census Bureau estimated that 28.5 percent of Nevadans were born in the state, which is well below numbers for the next-lowest states of Alaska (41.7 percent) and Florida (41.9 percent).

Nationwide, 67.4 percent of native U.S. residents were born in the state where they currently live.