Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI
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 |
810,852 |
94.49% |
920,134 |
91.35% |
Spanish |
21,250 |
2.48% |
52,906 |
5.25% |
Other Indo-European* |
19,402 |
2.26% |
19,143 |
1.90% |
Asian Language** |
5,118 |
0.60% |
11,600 |
1.15% |
Other |
1,474 |
0.17% |
3,477 |
0.35% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
858,096 |
100.00% |
1,007,260 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
25,168 |
47.57% |
Other Indo-European* |
5,702 |
29.79% |
Asian Language** |
6,709 |
57.84% |
Other Language |
1,173 |
33.74% |
Total |
38,752 |
3.85% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
8,415 |
39.60% |
Other Indo-European* |
5,558 |
28.65% |
Asian Language** |
2,905 |
56.76% |
Other Language |
371 |
25.17% |
Total |
17,249 |
2.01% |
* "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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