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 | 1,085,119 | 91.52% | 1,131,318 | 90.73% |
| Spanish | 43,339 | 3.66% | 56,438 | 4.53% |
| Other Indo-European* | 39,521 | 3.33% | 33,588 | 2.69% |
| Asian Language** | 15,799 | 1.33% | 21,877 | 1.75% |
| Other | 1,934 | 0.16% | 3,664 | 0.29% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 1,185,712 | 100.00% | 1,246,885 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 20,801 | 36.86% |
| Other Indo-European* | 9,010 | 26.83% |
| Asian Language** | 11,379 | 52.01% |
| Other Language | 1,062 | 28.98% |
| Total | 42,252 | 3.39% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 17,844 | 41.17% |
| Other Indo-European* | 11,692 | 29.58% |
| Asian Language** | 8,600 | 54.43% |
| Other Language | 547 | 28.28% |
| Total | 38,683 | 3.26% |
* "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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