The share of people who are Hispanic or Latino has grown to a little more than a quarter of the population in Elko, Nevada, a small city in the remote northeastern corner of the state. That growth in diversity has also led to an increasing number of people who speak a language other than English at home, with Spanish spoken in nearly 15 percent of households in Elko County, which has a population of about 54,000.
That increasing diversity is part of a wider trend. While rural America remains largely White and predominantly English-speaking, its White population decreased by about 2 million from 2010 to 2020, an analysis by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire found. The percentage of people who are members of a racial or ethnic minority living in rural areas increased from 20 percent to 24 percent, with the largest share Hispanic.
Language access is protected federally, and 11 states plus D.C. have created broad policies for their residents. More states have laws targeting specific sectors, such as education or health care…