Language access statistics in the United States: a reference for 2026

This page consolidates the public statistics most-cited in U.S. language-access discussions. Sources are listed at the end of each section so other writers, journalists, and compliance professionals can verify the underlying data. AMS keeps this page updated as new American Community Survey (ACS) releases, federal rulemakings, and court statistics become available.

Languages spoken in the United States

• Approximately 67.8 million U.S. residents (~22 percent of the population aged 5 and older) speak a language other than English at home, per the most recent multi-year American Community Survey (ACS) data.
• Spanish is the largest non-English language, spoken at home by approximately 42 million people.
• After Spanish, the largest non-English languages spoken at home in the U.S. are: Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese combined, ~3.5 million), Tagalog (~1.8 million), Vietnamese (~1.6 million), Arabic (~1.4 million), French and French Creole (~1.3 million), Korean (~1.1 million), Russian (~1.0 million), and German (~890,000).
• In California, approximately 44 percent of households speak a non-English language at home, the highest proportion of any U.S. state.
• In Nevada, approximately 31 percent of households speak a non-English language at home.
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (most recent release).

Limited English Proficiency (LEP) population

• Approximately 25.6 million U.S. residents (~8 percent of the population aged 5 and older) self-report speaking English less than "very well." These are the Limited English Proficient (LEP) population.
• Spanish-speaking LEP individuals are the largest LEP language group (~16 million).
• The next-largest LEP groups are Chinese (~1.8 million), Vietnamese (~960,000), Korean (~530,000), Tagalog (~530,000), Russian (~430,000), Arabic (~410,000), and Haitian Creole (~280,000).
• In California, approximately 17 percent of the population aged 5 and older is LEP. In Los Angeles County, the figure is approximately 26 percent.
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates; LEP Data Brief, U.S. Census.

Federal language access regulatory framework

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin in federally-funded programs. Federal interpretive guidance (Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563; Executive Order 13166, 2000) extends this to LEP language access.
• Executive Order 13166 (signed 2000) requires each federal agency to develop a Limited English Proficiency plan and requires recipients of federal financial assistance to provide meaningful access to LEP individuals.
• Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. § 18116) prohibits discrimination in federally-funded health programs, with a 2024 Final Rule that updated language-access requirements and clarified expectations for telehealth interpretation.
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (28 CFR Part 35) requires state and local government services to provide effective communication for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
• Title III of the ADA (28 CFR Part 36) extends effective communication obligations to places of public accommodation, including private law firms and medical practices.
• 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires foreign-language documents submitted to USCIS to be accompanied by an English translation certified by the translator as complete and accurate.

Court interpreting statistics

• California state courts conduct proceedings in approximately 100 languages each year, per the Judicial Council of California.
• The California Court Interpreter Program (CIP) certifies court interpreters in 12 spoken languages plus American Sign Language: Arabic, Armenian (Eastern and Western), Cantonese, Farsi, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and ASL.
• The Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (FCICE), administered by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, certifies federal court interpreters in three languages: Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Navajo.
• NAJIT (National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators) recommends a two-interpreter team for any proceeding expected to run more than one hour, to address cognitive fatigue.
• Source: Judicial Council of California Court Interpreters Program; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Court Interpreters Program; NAJIT Position Paper on Team Interpreting (2007).

Healthcare interpreting statistics

• The Willie Ramirez case (1980, South Florida) is the most-cited single example of a medical interpreting failure. A bilingual staff member rendered "intoxicado" (poisoned/sickened by something ingested) as "intoxicated" (under the influence of alcohol or drugs); the patient was treated for a presumed drug overdose, his intracerebellar hemorrhage went undiagnosed for over two days, and he was left quadriplegic. The resulting malpractice settlement was approximately $71 million over Willie's expected lifetime.
• CCHI (Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters) is the NCCA-accredited certification body for medical interpreters in the U.S. It offers the Core Certification Healthcare Interpreter (CoreCHI), CHI-Spanish, CHI-Arabic, and CHI-Mandarin credentials.
• NBCMI (National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters) discontinued issuing new certifications in 2018. Existing credentials remain recognized.
• Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act covers virtually all U.S. healthcare providers that receive federal financial assistance (Medicare, Medicaid, ACA exchange participation), making federal language-access standards applicable to most U.S. hospitals and clinics.
• Sources: Quan and Lynch, "The High Costs of Language Barriers in Medical Malpractice" (2010); CCHI; National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters; HHS Office for Civil Rights Section 1557 Final Rule (2024).

Sign language interpreting statistics

• Approximately 0.5 to 1 million people in the U.S. use American Sign Language (ASL) as a primary or significant language, per Gallaudet Research Institute estimates (no recent definitive census exists; estimates vary).
• The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) maintains the national certification program for ASL interpreters. RID certifications include the NIC (National Interpreter Certification), SC:L (Specialty Certificate: Legal), and Ed:K-12 (educational).
• Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM) is distinct from ASL and is the primary signed language of the Mexican Deaf community; many U.S. Deaf clients of Mexican origin sign LSM rather than ASL.
• ADA Title II and Title III require covered entities to provide qualified sign language interpretation as effective communication for Deaf clients; covered entities bear the cost of the interpreter.
• Sources: Gallaudet Research Institute; Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf; U.S. Department of Justice ADA Title II and Title III regulations (28 CFR Parts 35 and 36).

Translation industry statistics

• The American Translators Association (ATA), the largest professional association for translators in the U.S., reports approximately 8,500 individual members and 1,400 corporate members.
• USCIS processes approximately 8 to 10 million immigration filings each year, the majority of which require certified translation of at least one foreign-language document.
• Approximately 80 percent of U.S. translation work is from-English or into-English on at least one side of the language pair (per industry surveys).
• Source: American Translators Association annual reports; USCIS Immigration Data and Statistics.

A note on this page

AMS maintains this page as a free public reference. Writers, journalists, academics, and compliance professionals are encouraged to cite the underlying source documents. Where AMS has aggregated data, please cite Access Multilingual Services, Inc. as the aggregator and link to this page so readers can verify the underlying sources. We update the figures here when new ACS releases, federal rulemakings, or court statistics become available.