English not the 1st language in 1 in 4 D.C.-area households

By Andrew Mollenbeck
November 4, 2015 | 5:10 AM

WASHINGTON — One in four households in the Washington region speaks a language other than English, the Census Bureau said Tuesday.

In its most in-depth analysis on language, the agency counted at least 350 languages spoken in U.S. homes.

In this area, the Census Bureau reported at least 168 languages spoken in the home.

The Washington region ranked near the top in both total languages spoken and the percentage of households that speak a language other than English. Twenty-six percent of households in the region communicate in a language other than English, the findings show.

According to the survey, Amharic is among the smaller language groups, with 43,125 speakers nationwide.

The New York metro area has the greatest diversity, with at least 192 languages spoken at home.

In two cities, English-speaking households are in the minority: The Census Bureau reports 54 percent of the Los Angeles metro area and 51 percent of the Miami metro area don’t use English at home.

National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

By Neal Augenstein
September 1, 2026 | 10:36 AM

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.

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