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The Modern Language Association Language Map
A Map of Languages in the United States
The MLA Language Map is intended for use by students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about the linguistic and cultural composition of the United States. The MLA Language Map uses data from the 2000 United States census to display the locations and numbers of speakers of thirty languages and three groups of less commonly spoken languages in the United States. The census data are based on responses to the question, "Does this person speak a language other than English at home?" The Language Map illustrates the concentration of language speakers in zip codes and counties. The Data Center provides census data about over three hundred languages spoken in the United States, including actual numbers and percentages of speakers.
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View the Map
View an interactive map showing the numbers of speakers of thirty-three languages and language groups. Click the map to zoom in on a region. Add or remove county and city names, rivers and lakes, and highways. A bar graph beneath the map provides the actual numbers of speakers by state; for numbers of speakers by zip code, town, city, or county, use the Data Center.
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Compare Languages and Places
Generate interactive maps for two languages in the same state, or compare the concentration of the same language in two states. Zoom in on both national maps to focus on regions; zoom in on state maps to focus on clusters of counties or zip codes.
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Find Out More Detailed Information
Visit the Data Center for information about numbers and ages of speakers of languages in a specific state, county, zip code, metropolitan area, town, or county subdivision or to view charts that illustrate the distribution by percentage of the languages in each state. Compare speakers of different languages by three age groups: 5-17, 18-64, and 65 and over. Compare Americans who speak other languages by their ability to speak English.
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Read about the MLA Language Map and about Other Language-Related Issues
Find out about the United States census--the source of the MLA Language Map data--and about the composition of the census's language groups. Follow links to census publications, to data about migration and immigration and about language teaching in United States colleges and universities, and to information about where specific languages are spoken outside the United States.
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Learn to Use the Language Map
Take a tutorial about functions and possible uses of the MLA Language Map.
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