CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Charleston, WV |
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LANGUAGE
The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.
| Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000 | ||||
| 1990 | 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Only English | 229,131 | 97.35% | 229,934 | 97.06% |
| Spanish | 2,008 | 0.85% | 2,534 | 1.07% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,053 | 1.30% | 2,644 | 1.12% |
| Asian Language** | 734 | 0.31% | 1,196 | 0.50% |
| Other | 437 | 0.19% | 600 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 235,363 | 100.00% | 236,908 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 745 | 29.40% |
| Other Indo-European* | 565 | 21.37% |
| Asian Language** | 368 | 30.77% |
| Other Language | 112 | 18.67% |
| Total | 1,790 | 0.76% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 781 | 38.89% |
| Other Indo-European* | 932 | 30.53% |
| Asian Language** | 255 | 34.74% |
| Other Language | 98 | 22.43% |
| Total | 2,066 | 0.88% |
* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."
** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.
Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.
Source: Census 2000 analyzed by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN).
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