CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Des Moines, IA |
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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 | 347,233 | 95.55% | 387,444 | 91.86% |
| Spanish | 5,462 | 1.50% | 16,034 | 3.80% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,310 | 1.74% | 9,533 | 2.26% |
| Asian Language** | 3,979 | 1.09% | 7,359 | 1.74% |
| Other | 422 | 0.12% | 1,410 | 0.33% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 363,406 | 100.00% | 421,780 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 8,101 | 50.52% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,990 | 41.85% |
| Asian Language** | 3,995 | 54.29% |
| Other Language | 781 | 55.39% |
| Total | 16,867 | 4.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,783 | 32.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,829 | 28.99% |
| Asian Language** | 2,309 | 58.03% |
| Other Language | 80 | 18.96% |
| Total | 6,001 | 1.65% |
* "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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