According to the 2021 census, the main language for 90.3% of the people living in Bury is English. This is a decrease of nearly 5% since 2011, when English was the main language for 95.1% of residents in Bury. The figures for Bury are similar to the national figure, as in 2021, 91.1% (52.6 million) of usual residents, aged three years and over, had English (English or Welsh in Wales) as a main language, a decrease from 92.3%, or 49.8 million, in 2011.

There are 90 categories for language, and the table below shows the top 5 main languages (excluding the category does not apply) in Bury, with the numbers of people and as a percentage of the total for 2021 and for 2011:

The table below shows the percentage of households with English as a main language by MSOA.

Nuttall & Tottington had the highest number of households with all adults having English as a main language (98.6%).  Fernhill & Pimhole had the lowest (73.2%).

The table below shows the percentage of households with English as a main language by ward.

North Manor had the highest number of households with all adults having English as a main language (98.5%).  Bury East had the lowest (78.3%).