Many Languages of Missouri

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1 Primary Language Spoken at Home According to the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 6.1% (342,797) of Missouri s population ages five and over spoke a language other than English at home. Twenty one percent of the United States population for the same time period spoke a non- English language at home. The five most common non-english languages spoken in Missouri homes were Spanish or Spanish Creole (), German (0.4%), Chinese (0.3%), French including Patois and Cajun (0.3%) and Serb-Croatian (0.2%). Percent of Population Speaking Non-English Languages at Home Spanish or Spanish Creole German 0.4% Chinese French (incl. Patois, Cajun) Serbo-Croatian 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% Other 2.3% 0.0% 0.5% 1.0% 1.5% 2.0% 2.5% 3.0%

2 County Population Estimates Three out of four Missouri counties have more than 95 percent of the population speaking English as the primary language at home. Six Missouri counties Sullivan (15.5%), McDonald (13.7%), Pettis (11.9%), Pulaski (11.9), Scotland (10.1%), Scotland (10.1%) and Daviess (10.0%) had over ten percent of their population speaking a non-english language in the home. Percent of Non-English Speaking Population by County

3 Counties with Largest Percent of Population Speaking Spanish Spanish or Spanish Creole is the most common non-english language spoken in Missouri homes. The 1990 Decennial Census reported 1.2% of Missouri s population spoke Spanish at home. That percentage jumped to 2.1% as reported by the 2000 Decennial Census. As of 2005, Language Spoken at Home is asked as part of the American Community Survey (ACS) and not the Decennial Census. The ACS , 5-Year Estimates suggest the percentage of Missouri s population speaking Spanish or Spanish Creole at home grew to 2.6 %. The ACS population survey showed that while some of the Spanish speaking population moved to new counties,the percentage remained the same in Missouri at. Counties with Largest Percent of Spanish Speaking 16.0% 14.0% 13.5% 14.9% 12.0% 12.0% % 9.4% % 6.0% 7.7% 6.1% 6.1% 7.0% 7.0% 6.2% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% Missouri Sullivan McDonald Saline Pettis Barry

4 Spanish Speaking Population Counties with the largest percentages of residents speaking Spanish at home are not in the major metropolitan areas of Missouri. In the St. Louis area, St. Charles County (2.4%), St. Louis County (2.1%) and St. Louis City (3.1%) combined have only 2.3% of the population speaking Spanish at home. Sullivan County has the highest concentration with 14.9% of its population speaking Spanish followed by McDonald (9.4%), Saline County (7.7%), Pettis (7.0%) and Barry (6.2%). Percent of Spanish Speaking Population by County

5 Limited English Proficiency The American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates report 8.70 percent of the United States population and 2.24 percent of Missouri s population speaks English Less Than Very Well. Twenty Missouri Counties have a higher percentage of residents with limited English proficiency than the state. Sullivan County exceeds the United States percentage with 8.76 percent of residents speaking English Less Than Very Well. Other concentrations of Limited English Proficiency are in counties along the Interstate corridors and the large metropolitan areas. Percent of Limited English Proficiency Population by County Note**This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. March 2016 MISSOURI ECONOMIC RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTER MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT