CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
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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 | 504,108 | 89.70% | 518,264 | 88.23% |
| Spanish | 31,194 | 5.55% | 43,019 | 7.32% |
| Other Indo-European* | 23,005 | 4.09% | 21,128 | 3.60% |
| Asian Language** | 1,651 | 0.29% | 2,835 | 0.48% |
| Other | 2,026 | 0.36% | 2,143 | 0.36% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 561,984 | 100.00% | 587,389 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 16,211 | 37.68% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,222 | 29.45% |
| Asian Language** | 1,209 | 42.65% |
| Other Language | 577 | 26.92% |
| Total | 24,219 | 4.12% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 11,059 | 35.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 7,583 | 32.96% |
| Asian Language** | 625 | 37.86% |
| Other Language | 563 | 27.79% |
| Total | 19,830 | 3.53% |
* "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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