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Just how many New Jerseyans speak a language other than English as a primary language in their homes?

According to census information, 1-in-4 homes in New Jersey speak a language other than English, with Spanish the next most spoken followed by Chinese, Portuguese, Tagalog, Italian, Korean, Gujarati, Polish, Hindu and Arabic. The survey data is determined from among those who have been in the United States for at least five years.

The census, based on American Community Survey data collected from 2009 to 2013, expanded the list of languages from 39 in 2000 to 350 for the 2010 census. It represents the most comprehensive data ever released from the Census Bureau on languages spoken less widely in the United States, such as Pennsylvania Dutch, Ukrainian, Turkish, Romanian, Amharic and many others.

“While most of the U.S. population speaks only English at home or a handful of other languages like Spanish or Vietnamese, the American Community Survey reveals the wide-ranging language diversity of the United States,” said Census Bureau statistician Erik Vickstrom.

In the New York metropolitan area at least 192 languages are spoken in homes, while at least 146 languages are spoken in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

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