State Language Data - TN
Tennessee
Language & Education
2024
2000
1990
| English Proficiency | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) | 466,077 |
| Speak only English | 18.5% |
| Speak English "very well" | 33.9% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 47.6% |
| Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time | |
| % change: 2000-2024 | 211.2% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 394.4% |
| English Proficiency of the Foreign Born by U.S. Citizenship Status (age 5 and older)* | |
| Naturalized citizens | 186,662 |
| Speak only English | 27% |
| Speak English "very well" | 41.2% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 31.8% |
| Noncitizens | 279,415 |
| Speak only English | 12.8% |
| Speak English "very well" | 29% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 58.2% |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) | 6,351,468 |
| Speak only English | 96.0% |
| Speak English ""very well"" | 3.3% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 0.8% |
| Limited English Proficient (LEP) Population: Change over Time | |
| % change: 2000-2011 | 35.7% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 29.3% |
|
Foreign Born
|
|
|---|---|
| English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) | 155,547 |
| Speak only English | 20.1% |
| "Speak English ""very well"" | 34.0% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 45.8% |
|
U.S. Born
|
|
|---|---|
| English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) | 5,160,373 |
| Speak only English | 97.4% |
| "Speak English ""very well"" | 1.8% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 0.7% |
|
Foreign Born
|
|
|---|---|
| English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) | 57,861 |
| Speak only English | 37.5% |
| "Speak English ""very well"" | 37.6% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 24.9% |
|
U.S. Born
|
|
|---|---|
| English Proficiency (age 5 and older) (%) | 4,471,431 |
| Speak only English | 97.9% |
| "Speak English ""very well"" | 1.4% |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 0.6% |
Population (age 5 and older)
| Language Spoken at Home (by age and English proficiency) | Number |
|---|---|
| Ages 5-17 | 1,166,194 |
| Speak only English | 1,023,495 |
| Speak language other than English | 142,699 |
|
Speak English "very well"
|
93,840 |
|
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
|
48,859 |
| Speak Spanish | 105,803 |
|
Speak English "very well"
|
68,167 |
|
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
|
37,636 |
| Ages 18-64 | 4,377,372 |
| Speak only English | 3,928,559 |
| Speak language other than English | 448,813 |
|
Speak English "very well"
|
246,991 |
|
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
|
201,822 |
| Speak Spanish | 269,012 |
|
Speak English "very well"
|
126,475 |
|
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
|
142,537 |
| 65 and Older | 1,273,979 |
| Speak only English | 1,228,806 |
| Speak language other than English | 45,173 |
|
Speak English "very well"
|
23,815 |
|
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
|
21,358 |
| Speak Spanish | 19,218 |
|
Speak English "very well"
|
9,610 |
|
Speak English less than “very well” (LEP)
|
9,608 |
| % | |
|---|---|
| 65 and Older | 100% |
| Speak only English | 87.8% |
| Speak language other than English | 12.2% |
| Speak English "very well" | 8.0% |
| Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) | 4.2% |
| Speak Spanish | 9.1% |
| Speak English "very well" | 5.8% |
| Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) | 3.2% |
| Ages 18-64 | 100% |
| Speak only English | 89.7% |
| Speak language other than English | 10.3% |
| Speak English "very well" | 5.6% |
| Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) | 4.6% |
| Speak Spanish | 6.1% |
| Speak English "very well" | 2.9% |
| Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) | 3.3% |
| Ages 5-17 | 100% |
| Speak only English | 96.5% |
| Speak language other than English | 3.5% |
| Speak English "very well" | 1.9% |
| Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) | 1.7% |
| Speak Spanish | 1.5% |
| Speak English "very well" | 0.8% |
| Speak English less than "very well" (LEP) | 0.8% |
Population (age 5 and older)
| Language Spoken at Home (detailed, by English proficiency) | Number |
|---|---|
| Total Household Population, Age 5 and Older | 6,817,545 |
| Speak only English | 6,180,860 |
| Speak language other than English | 636,685 |
| Spanish | 394,033 |
| Speak English "very well" | 204,252 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 189,781 |
| French (Including Cajun) | 16,016 |
| Speak English "very well" | 13,277 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,739 |
| Haitian | 3,773 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,811 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 962 |
| Italian | 3,706 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,057 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 649 |
| Portuguese | 4,504 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,940 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 564 |
| German | 13,235 |
| Speak English "very well" | 12,197 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,038 |
| Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or Other West Germanic Languages | 6,565 |
| Speak English "very well" | 5,196 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,369 |
| Russian | 3,410 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,560 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 850 |
| Polish | 2,127 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,730 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 397 |
| Other Slavic Languages | 8,919 |
| Speak English "very well" | 6,124 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,795 |
| Armenian | 566 |
| Speak English "very well" | 482 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 84 |
| Persian (including Farsi, Dari) | 2,928 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,906 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,022 |
| Gujarati | 6,627 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,941 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,686 |
| Hindi | 8,608 |
| Speak English "very well" | 8,254 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 354 |
| Urdu | 3,587 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,399 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,188 |
| Punjabi | 2,257 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,529 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 728 |
| Bengali | 1,684 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,339 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 345 |
| Nepali, Marathi, or Other Indic Languages | 8,477 |
| Speak English "very well" | 6,076 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,401 |
| Other Indo-European Languages | 7,922 |
| Speak English "very well" | 6,182 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,740 |
| Telugu | 4,374 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,295 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,079 |
| Tamil | 1,682 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,439 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 243 |
| Malayalam, Kannada, or Other Dravidian Languages | 1,113 |
| Speak English "very well" | 822 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 291 |
| Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese) | 15,846 |
| Speak English "very well" | 9,375 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 6,471 |
| Japanese | 4,113 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,901 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,212 |
| Korean | 10,738 |
| Speak English "very well" | 5,770 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 4,968 |
| Hmong | 115 |
| Speak English "very well" | N |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 115 |
| Vietnamese | 12,316 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,589 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 7,727 |
| Khmer | 1,065 |
| Speak English "very well" | 524 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 541 |
| Thai, Lao, or Other Tai-Kadai Languages | 5,953 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,716 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 3,237 |
| Other Languages of Asia | 3,759 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,665 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,094 |
| Tagalog (including Filipino) | 12,055 |
| Speak English "very well" | 9,228 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,827 |
| Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or Other Austronesian Languages | 2,240 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,494 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 746 |
| Arabic | 30,232 |
| Speak English "very well" | 12,472 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 17,760 |
| Hebrew | 4,501 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,312 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 1,189 |
| Amharic, Somali, or Other Afro-Asiatic Languages | 5,005 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,023 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,982 |
| Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or Other Languages of Western Africa | 4,914 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,652 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 2,262 |
| Swahili or Other Languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa | 12,576 |
| Speak English "very well" | 7,939 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 4,637 |
| Native Languages of North America | 190 |
| Speak English "very well" | 112 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 78 |
| Other and Unspecified Languages | 4,954 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,066 |
| Speak English less than “very well” (LEP) | 888 |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Field 306 | 100% |
| Field 307 | 90.7% |
| Field 308 | 9.3% |
| Field 310 | 100% |
| Field 310 | 51.8% |
| Field 310 | 48.2% |
| Field 313 | 100% |
| Field 314 | 82.9% |
| Field 315 | 17.1% |
| Field 316 | 100% |
| Field 316 | 74.5% |
| Field 316 | 25.5% |
| Field 319 | 100% |
| Field 319 | 82.5% |
| Field 319 | 17.5% |
| Field 322 | 100% |
| Field 322 | 87.5% |
| Field 322 | 12.5% |
| Field 325 | 100% |
| Field 325 | 92.2% |
| Field 325 | 7.8% |
| Field 328 | 100% |
| Field 328 | 79.1% |
| Field 328 | 20.9% |
| Field 331 | 100% |
| Field 331 | 75.1% |
| Field 331 | 24.9% |
| Field 334 | 100% |
| Field 334 | 81.3% |
| Field 334 | 18.7% |
| Field 337 | 100% |
| Field 337 | 68.7% |
| Field 337 | 31.3% |
| Field 340 | 100% |
| Field 340 | 85.2% |
| Field 340 | 14.8% |
| Field 343 | 100% |
| Field 343 | 65.1% |
| Field 343 | 34.9% |
| Field 346 | 100% |
| Field 346 | 74.6% |
| Field 346 | 25.4% |
| Field 349 | 100% |
| Field 349 | 95.9% |
| Field 349 | 4.1% |
| Field 352 | 100% |
| Field 352 | 66.9% |
| Field 352 | 33.1% |
| Field 355 | 100% |
| Field 355 | 67.7% |
| Field 355 | 32.3% |
| Field 358 | 100% |
| Field 358 | 79.5% |
| Field 358 | 20.5% |
| Field 361 | 100% |
| Field 361 | 71.7% |
| Field 361 | 28.3% |
| Field 364 | 100% |
| Field 364 | 78.0% |
| Field 364 | 22.0% |
| Field 367 | 100% |
| Field 367 | 75.3% |
| Field 367 | 24.7% |
| Field 370 | 100% |
| Field 370 | 85.6% |
| Field 370 | 14.4% |
| Field 373 | 100% |
| Field 373 | 73.9% |
| Field 373 | 26.1% |
| Field 376 | 100% |
| Field 376 | 59.2% |
| Field 376 | 40.8% |
| Field 379 | 100% |
| Field 379 | 70.5% |
| Field 379 | 29.5% |
| Field 382 | 100% |
| Field 382 | 53.7% |
| Field 382 | 46.3% |
| Field 385 | 100% |
| Field 385 | N |
| Field 385 | 100.0% |
| Field 388 | 100% |
| Field 388 | 37.3% |
| Field 388 | 62.7% |
| Field 391 | 100% |
| Field 391 | 49.2% |
| Field 391 | 50.8% |
| Field 394 | 100% |
| Field 394 | 45.6% |
| Field 394 | 54.4% |
| Field 397 | 100% |
| Field 397 | 44.3% |
| Field 397 | 55.7% |
| Field 400 | 100% |
| Field 400 | 76.5% |
| Field 400 | 23.5% |
| Field 403 | 100% |
| Field 403 | 66.7% |
| Field 403 | 33.3% |
| Field 406 | 100% |
| Field 406 | 41.3% |
| Field 406 | 58.7% |
| Field 409 | 100% |
| Field 409 | 73.6% |
| Field 409 | 26.4% |
| Field 412 | 100% |
| Field 412 | 40.4% |
| Field 412 | 59.6% |
| Field 415 | 100% |
| Field 415 | 54.0% |
| Field 415 | 46.0% |
| Field 418 | 100% |
| Field 418 | 63.1% |
| Field 418 | 36.9% |
| Field 421 | 100% |
| Field 421 | 58.9% |
| Field 421 | 41.1% |
| Field 424 | 100% |
| Field 424 | 82.1% |
| Field 424 | 17.9% |
| Educational Attainment | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| Population (age 25 and older) | 378,907 |
| Less than high school diploma | 25.3% |
| High school diploma or GED | 24.6% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 16.3% |
| Bachelor's degree | 18.8% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 15.0% |
| % Foreign Born among Adults with | |
| Less than high school diploma | 20.4% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 7.9% |
| Educational Attainment: Change over Time | |
| Adults with no high school diploma | |
| % change: 2000-2024 | 187.9% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 265.3% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | |
| % change: 2000-2024 | 256.1% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 119.8% |
| Educational Attainment by U.S. Citizenship Status (foreign-born adults, age 25 and older) | |
| Naturalized citizens (%) | 170,107 |
| Less than high school diploma | 15.6% |
| High school diploma or GED | 22% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 20.7% |
| Bachelor's degree | 24% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 17.6% |
| Noncitizens (%) | 208,800 |
| Less than high school diploma | 33.2% |
| High school diploma or GED | 26.8% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 12.7% |
| Bachelor's degree | 14.5% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 12.8% |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Population (age 25 and older) | 4,617,651 |
| Less than high school diploma | 8.1% |
| High school diploma or GED | 31.2% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 28.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 20.1% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 12.2% |
| % Foreign Born among Adults with | |
| Nothing | |
| Nothing | |
| Educational Attainment: Change over Time | |
| Adults with no high school diploma | |
| % change: 2000-2011 | -56.9% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | -14.4% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | |
| % change: 2000-2011 | 112.7% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 44.6% |
| Foreign Born | |
|---|---|
| Population (age 25 and older) | 113,901 |
| Less than high school diploma | 29.3% |
| High school diploma or GED | 19.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 19.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 15.7% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 15.8% |
| % Foreign Born among Adults with | |
| Less than high school diploma | 3.7% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 4.9% |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Population (age 25 and older) | 3,630,845 |
| Less than high school diploma | 24.0% |
| High school diploma or GED | 31.8% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 24.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 12.7% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 6.6% |
| Foreign Born | |
|---|---|
| Population (age 25 and older) | 45,984 |
| Less than high school diploma | 19.9% |
| High school diploma or GED | 22.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 22.3% |
| Bachelor's degree | 18.2% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 17.3% |
| % Foreign Born among Adults with | |
| Less than high school diploma | 0.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 3.3% |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Population (age 25 and older) | 3,082,581 |
| Less than high school diploma | 33.0% |
| High school diploma or GED | 30.3% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 20.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 10.5% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 5.3% |
Sources: Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. Unless stated otherwise, 2024 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, Grace Cooper, Julia A. Rivera Drew, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rodgers, Jonathan Schroeder, and Kari C.W. Williams. IPUMS USA: Version 16.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V16.0.
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.
- “English proficiency of the foreign born by U.S. citizenship status” and “Educational Attainment by U.S. Citizenship Status”: Data for Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2020-2024 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2024 ACS.
- “Language Spoken at Home (detailed, by English proficiency)”: Data for Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2020-2024 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2024 ACS.