A Language and Education Profile of Immigrants across the United States

Language and education access are crucial aspects of immigrant integration — and as our newly compiled US data show, both opportunities and barriers are marking this transition for immigrants and the communities in which they live. This month’s Data Hub newsletter by the Migration Policy Institute brings to your attention key state-by-state and national statistics on immigrants education and language skills. Browse the “Language and Education” fact sheets by state (and for the entire United States) to search for levels of education, rates of English proficiency, and linguistic isolation among immigrants, as well as the many diverse languages spoken at home (courtesy of a data well known as the 2009 American Community Survey). Here are some interesting facts we found:

* New destination states face rising LEP population: Between 2000 and 2009, the immigrant Limited English Proficient (LEP) population — defined as persons age 5 and older who reported speaking English “not at all,” “not well,” or “well” — more than doubled in Alabama and South Carolina, and grew by 80 percent in Kentucky. (Note: This dramatic increase can be attributed, in large part, to a traditionally small LEP population in those new destination states). In comparison, the size of the national LEP immigrant population increased by 27 percent during the same period.

* High demand continues for English language instruction: In 2009, 52 percent of the 38.3 million immigrants (age 5 and older) in the United States were LEP individuals. Nearly two-thirds of all LEP immigrants in 2009 resided in the five so-called “traditional” immigration states: California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois.

* Some states are poised to benefit more than others from having a highly educated immigrant workforce: Foreign-born adults in West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Virginia, were significantly more educated (40 percent or more had at least a bachelor’s degree) than immigrants in the United States on average (27 percent had a BA or higher). In contrast, slightly more than half of foreign-born adults in New Mexico had no high school diploma.

* Immigrants are concentrated on the high and low ends of the education continuum: Nationally, 27 percent of immigrant adults had a bachelor’s degree or higher (compared to 28 percent for the native born). In contrast, the share of immigrant adults with less than a high school diploma was 32 percent (compared to only 11 percent among the US born). To learn more, go to the Data Hub’s 2009 ACS/Census tool and select the state of your choosing (or click on the small map of the United States if you look for national data).

KJ