>>106131071yeah I'm sure it has to do with how they define "illiterate". In my head, and my impression after going to public school in the US and taking the standardized testing, it's more like being able to read through a chapter of an easy book without rage quitting, not just knowing all the letters of the alphabet. people don't have much reason to read anymore unfortunately. you can basically get by with words. I can't read most kanji, but I can get through a day in Japan with decent speaking skills and motioning to things.
Also, for illegals from south america, many don't bother learning English at all, or only get up to basic spoken. And most come from the poorer/more rural areas in their original countries, so that's a big chunk of the country and probably a big chunk of the statistic. Which brings me back to my original point, and is supported by the pic's list of the 3 states with lowest literacy, NM, LA, and MS, which all have high hispanic or black demographics. Conversely, the states with the highest literacy have relatively high white %. Maryland is a bit of an outlier I guess, good for them