Respondents who reported speaking a language other than English (question 14a in the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS) were asked to indicate their English-speaking ability (question 14c in the 2018 ACS) based on one of the following categories: "Very well," "Well," "Not well," or "Not at all." Those who answered "Well," "Not well," or "Not at all" are sometimes referred as "Less than 'very well.'" Respondents were not instructed on how to interpret the response categories in this question.

This variable identifies households that may need English-language assistance. A "Limited English speaking household" is one in which no member 14 years old and over (1) speaks only English at home or (2) speaks a language other than English at home and speaks English "Very well."

After data are collected for each person in the household, the limited English-speaking household variable is calculated by checking if all people 14 years old and older speak a language other than English. If so, the calculation checks the English-speaking ability responses to see if all people 14 years old and older speak English "Less than 'very well.'" If all household members 14 and over speak a language other than English and speak English "Less than 'very well,'" the household is considered part of this group that may be in need of English language assistance. All members of a household are included in this group, including members under 14 years old who may speak only English or speak a language other than English at home and speak English "Very well."

Government agencies use information on language spoken at home and ability to speak English for their programs that serve the needs of those who have difficulty with English. Under the Voting Rights Act, data on language are necessary to meet statutory requirements for making voting materials available in minority languages. This Act directs the Census Bureau, using data about language spoken at home and the ability to speak English, to identify minority groups that speak a language other than English and to assess their Englishspeaking ability. The U.S. Department of Education uses the language data to prepare a report to Congress on the social and economic status of children served by different local school districts. State and local agencies concerned with aging develop health care and other services tailored to the language and cultural diversity of the elderly under the Older Americans Act.

Question/Concept History - The English Language Ability question has been the same since the beginning of the ACS. "Limited English-speaking households" has been calculated the same way in all years of ACS data collection, but has sometimes been termed "Linguistic Isolation" or "Households in which no one 14 and over speaks English only or speaks a language other than English and speaks English 'Very Well.'"

Limitation of the Data - Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) was included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have ability to speak English distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the ability to speak English distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population. Ideally, the data on ability to speak English represented a person’s perception of their own English-speaking ability. However, because one household member usually completes ACS questionnaires, the responses may have represented the perception of another household member.

Comparability - Caution should be taken when comparing language data from the ACS and 1980, 1990, and 2000 Censuses across time. Methodological changes to data collection in 2013 may have affected language data. Users should be aware of these changes when comparing data from 2013 or after to data from before 2013, or when using multi-year ACS data containing data from before and after 2013. For more information on comparability of language data, see the user note, "2013 Language Estimates." Though the term “Linguistic Isolation” is no longer used, data under this heading were tabulated in the same way as data under the heading "Limited English speaking households" or "Households in which no one 14 and over speaks English only or speaks a language other than English and speaks English 'Very well.'"