Spanish Facts

According to the latest United States census information,approxaimately 28 million people speak Spanish at home in The United States. Does that make the United States a Spanish-speaking country? It depends on your definition of "Spanish-speaking." The entire population of Ecuador is almost 14 million. The population of Chile is just over 16 million. The population of Venezuela is about 26 million... in other words, there are more Spanish speakers in the United States than citizens on each of these three Spanish-speaking countries.

Spanish speakers in the United States come from wide variety of backgrounds. Some are recent immigrants, while others' familes have been here for many generations, some since before the Mayflower arrived in Massachusettes. They come from all over the world,from every country where Spanish is spoken, and they live all over the United States. They are part of the fabric of society.

According to census information, most live in the southern and western states; however, there are a large populations of Spanish speakers in places like New York and Chicago as well.