Overview of primary non-English language selection
Federal guidelines identify LEP languages as languages that are spoken by at least 1,000 LEP residents living in Saint Paul or 5% of the LEP population, whichever is fewer. Based on data collected from a variety of sources, including the Saint Paul Public Schools and the U.S. Census Bureau, the City’s primary non-English language groups include, but are not limited to, Spanish, Hmong, Karen, and Somali.
Saint Paul's primary languages are based on a review of available population and language data, and consistently, the top three languages are Spanish, Hmong, Karen, and Somali (not necessarily all in this order). Depending on the source and the year the data was collected, these four languages appear at the top, sometime with Spanish ranking number one and other time ranking number two, followed by either Hmong or Somali or Karen.
As a starting point, the City has identified its primary language groups to be Spanish, Hmong, Karen, and Somali. Primary language groups may change as new data is collected.
Individuals may still request for interpretation services and translation of vital documents in other languages free of charge.
