E.g., 06/16/2024
E.g., 06/16/2024
State Language Data - MS
 

Mississippi

Language & Education
2022
2000
1990
English Proficiency

Note: The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Note: The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 64,867
Speak only English 20.0%
Speak English "very well" 36.7%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 43.3%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2022 78.6%
% change: 1990-2000 207.8%
English Proficiency of the Foreign Born by U.S. Citizenship Status (age 5 and older)*

Note: The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English. Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.

 
Naturalized citizens 26,621
Speak only English 29.5%
Speak English "very well" 44.5%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 26%
Noncitizens 38,246
Speak only English 13.3%
Speak English "very well" 31.4%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 55.3%

Note: The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 2,705,887
Speak only English 97.7%
Speak English ""very well"" 1.8%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 0.5%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time  
% change: 2000-2011 -28.1%
% change: 1990-2000 8.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 39,269
Speak only English 27.1%
"Speak English ""very well"" 32.8%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 40.1%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 2,602,184
Speak only English 97.4%
"Speak English ""very well"" 1.8%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 0.8%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 20,817
Speak only English 37.2%
"Speak English ""very well"" 38.3%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 24.5%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) 2,346,855
Speak only English 97.8%
"Speak English ""very well"" 1.4%
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 0.8%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
Population (age 5 and older)
 
 
Language Spoken at Home (by age and English proficiency)

Note: The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Number
Ages 5-17 506,782
Speak only English 487,324
Speak language other than English 19,458
Speak English "very well"
13,365
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
6,093
Speak Spanish 13,299
Speak English "very well"
9,720
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
3,579
Ages 18-64 1,750,788
Speak only English 1,667,460
Speak language other than English 83,328
Speak English "very well"
51,333
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
31,995
Speak Spanish 48,254
Speak English "very well"
26,145
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
22,109
65 and Older 513,184
Speak only English 501,774
Speak language other than English 11,410
Speak English "very well"
6,775
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
4,635
Speak Spanish 4,415
Speak English "very well"
2,773
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
1,642
%
65 and Older 100%
Speak only English 96.2%
Speak language other than English 3.8%
Speak English "very well" 2.6%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 1.2%
Speak Spanish 2.6%
Speak English "very well" 1.9%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.7%
Ages 18-64 100%
Speak only English 95.2%
Speak language other than English 4.8%
Speak English "very well" 2.9%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 1.8%
Speak Spanish 2.8%
Speak English "very well" 1.5%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 1.3%
Ages 5-17 100%
Speak only English 97.8%
Speak language other than English 2.2%
Speak English "very well" 1.3%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.9%
Speak Spanish 0.9%
Speak English "very well" 0.5%
Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) 0.3%
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
Population (age 5 and older)
 
 
Language Spoken at Home (detailed, by English proficiency)

Note: 1) The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English. 2) Data for Alaska, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.

Number
Total Household Population, Age 5 and Older 2,780,600
Speak only English 2,669,555
Speak language other than English 111,045
Spanish 67,489
Speak English "very well" 36,197
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 31,292
French (Including Cajun) 3,585
Speak English "very well" 2,587
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 998
Haitian 472
Speak English "very well" 328
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 144
Italian 998
Speak English "very well" 708
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 290
Portuguese 752
Speak English "very well" 634
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 118
German 2,817
Speak English "very well" 2,257
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 560
Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or Other West Germanic Languages 403
Speak English "very well" 347
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 56
Russian 751
Speak English "very well" 513
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 238
Polish 184
Speak English "very well" 117
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 67
Other Slavic Languages 153
Speak English "very well" 128
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 25
Armenian N
Speak English "very well" N
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Persian (including Farsi, Dari) 358
Speak English "very well" 317
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 41
Gujarati 526
Speak English "very well" 372
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 154
Hindi 1,508
Speak English "very well" 1,352
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 156
Urdu 563
Speak English "very well" 500
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 63
Punjabi 1,149
Speak English "very well" 710
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 439
Bengali 393
Speak English "very well" 349
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 44
Nepali, Marathi, or Other Indic Languages 1,258
Speak English "very well" 907
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 351
Other Indo-European Languages 820
Speak English "very well" 644
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 176
Telugu 592
Speak English "very well" 552
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 40
Tamil 372
Speak English "very well" 248
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 124
Malayalam, Kannada, or Other Dravidian Languages 211
Speak English "very well" 87
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 124
Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese) 3,819
Speak English "very well" 2,076
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,743
Japanese 790
Speak English "very well" 466
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 324
Korean 1,040
Speak English "very well" 582
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 458
Hmong N
Speak English "very well" N
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Vietnamese 5,734
Speak English "very well" 2,932
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 2,802
Khmer 223
Speak English "very well" 68
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 155
Thai, Lao, or Other Tai-Kadai Languages 579
Speak English "very well" 203
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 376
Other Languages of Asia 266
Speak English "very well" 128
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 138
Tagalog (including Filipino) 2,519
Speak English "very well" 2,005
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 514
Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or Other Austronesian Languages 397
Speak English "very well" 252
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 145
Arabic 2,771
Speak English "very well" 1,599
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 1,172
Hebrew 138
Speak English "very well" 138
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) N
Amharic, Somali, or Other Afro-Asiatic Languages 262
Speak English "very well" 201
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 61
Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or Other Languages of Western Africa 948
Speak English "very well" 764
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 184
Swahili or Other Languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa 705
Speak English "very well" 336
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 369
Native Languages of North America 4,508
Speak English "very well" 3,761
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 747
Other and Unspecified Languages 992
Speak English "very well" 709
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) 283
%
Field 306 100%
Field 307 96.0%
Field 308 4.0%
Field 310 100%
Field 310 53.6%
Field 310 46.4%
Field 313 100%
Field 314 72.2%
Field 315 27.8%
Field 316 100%
Field 316 69.5%
Field 316 30.5%
Field 319 100%
Field 319 70.9%
Field 319 29.1%
Field 322 100%
Field 322 84.3%
Field 322 15.7%
Field 325 100%
Field 325 80.1%
Field 325 19.9%
Field 328 100%
Field 328 86.1%
Field 328 13.9%
Field 331 100%
Field 331 68.3%
Field 331 31.7%
Field 334 100%
Field 334 63.6%
Field 334 36.4%
Field 337 100%
Field 337 83.7%
Field 337 16.3%
Field 340 100%
Field 340 N
Field 340 N
Field 343 100%
Field 343 88.5%
Field 343 11.5%
Field 346 100%
Field 346 70.7%
Field 346 29.3%
Field 349 100%
Field 349 89.7%
Field 349 10.3%
Field 352 100%
Field 352 88.8%
Field 352 11.2%
Field 355 100%
Field 355 61.8%
Field 355 38.2%
Field 358 100%
Field 358 88.8%
Field 358 11.2%
Field 361 100%
Field 361 72.1%
Field 361 27.9%
Field 364 100%
Field 364 78.5%
Field 364 21.5%
Field 367 100%
Field 367 93.2%
Field 367 6.8%
Field 370 100%
Field 370 66.7%
Field 370 33.3%
Field 373 100%
Field 373 41.2%
Field 373 58.8%
Field 376 100%
Field 376 54.4%
Field 376 45.6%
Field 379 100%
Field 379 59.0%
Field 379 41.0%
Field 382 100%
Field 382 56.0%
Field 382 44.0%
Field 385 100%
Field 385 N
Field 385 N
Field 388 100%
Field 388 51.1%
Field 388 48.9%
Field 391 100%
Field 391 30.5%
Field 391 69.5%
Field 394 100%
Field 394 35.1%
Field 394 64.9%
Field 397 100%
Field 397 48.1%
Field 397 51.9%
Field 400 100%
Field 400 79.6%
Field 400 20.4%
Field 403 100%
Field 403 63.5%
Field 403 36.5%
Field 406 100%
Field 406 57.7%
Field 406 42.3%
Field 409 100%
Field 409 100.0%
Field 409 N
Field 412 100%
Field 412 76.7%
Field 412 23.3%
Field 415 100%
Field 415 80.6%
Field 415 19.4%
Field 418 100%
Field 418 47.7%
Field 418 52.3%
Field 421 100%
Field 421 83.4%
Field 421 16.6%
Field 424 100%
Field 424 71.5%
Field 424 28.5%
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Educational Attainment Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 54,287
Less than high school diploma 27.4%
High school diploma or GED 26.3%
Some college or associate's degree 15.8%
Bachelor's degree 13.4%
Graduate or professional degree 17.1%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 6.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.4%
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2022 56.6%
% change: 1990-2000 112.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2022 100.6%
% change: 1990-2000 51.9%
Educational Attainment by U.S. Citizenship Status (foreign-born adults, age 25 and older)

Note: 1) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 2) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

 
Naturalized citizens (%) 23,833
Less than high school diploma 21.5%
High school diploma or GED 20.3%
Some college or associate's degree 21.3%
Bachelor's degree 18.8%
Graduate or professional degree 18.1%
Noncitizens (%) 30,454
Less than high school diploma 32.1%
High school diploma or GED 30.9%
Some college or associate's degree 11.5%
Bachelor's degree 9.2%
Graduate or professional degree 16.3%
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 1,909,035
Less than high school diploma 12.0%
High school diploma or GED 30.9%
Some college or associate's degree 32.5%
Bachelor's degree 15.2%
Graduate or professional degree 9.4%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Nothing  
Nothing  
Educational Attainment: Change over Time  
Adults with no high school diploma  
% change: 2000-2011 -50.9%
% change: 1990-2000 -14.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher  
% change: 2000-2011 62.8%
% change: 1990-2000 30.6%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 30,301
Less than high school diploma 31.4%
High school diploma or GED 19.1%
Some college or associate's degree 22.3%
Bachelor's degree 14.7%
Graduate or professional degree 12.5%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 2.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2.8%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 1,725,566
Less than high school diploma 27.0%
High school diploma or GED 29.5%
Some college or associate's degree 26.8%
Bachelor's degree 11.1%
Graduate or professional degree 5.6%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign Born
Population (age 25 and older) 16,947
Less than high school diploma 26.4%
High school diploma or GED 21.6%
Some college or associate's degree 20.0%
Bachelor's degree 15.1%
Graduate or professional degree 17.0%
% Foreign Born among Adults with  
Less than high school diploma 0.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2.4%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
U.S. Born
Population (age 25 and older) 1,514,367
Less than high school diploma 36.0%
High school diploma or GED 27.6%
Some college or associate's degree 21.9%
Bachelor's degree 9.6%
Graduate or professional degree 5.0%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sources: Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. Unless stated otherwise, 2022 data are from the one-year ACS file. For information about ACS definitions, click here. For ACS methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here. Estimates from 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census data as well as ACS microdata are from Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rogers, and Megan Schouweiler. IPUMS USA: Version 14.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V14.0​.

Definitions

  • The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.
  • The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.
  • The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English “not at all,” “not well,” or “well” on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English “very well” are considered proficient in English.

Data-related notes

  • The letter N indicates that an estimate could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.
  • For “English proficiency of the foreign born by U.S. citizenship status” and “Educational Attainment by U.S. Citizenship Status”: Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 
  • For “Language Spoken at Home (detailed, by English proficiency)”: Data for Alaska, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.