CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Atlantic-Cape May, NJ |
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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 | 264,203 | 88.96% | 279,072 | 83.67% |
| Spanish | 14,979 | 5.04% | 28,964 | 8.68% |
| Other Indo-European* | 13,261 | 4.47% | 16,422 | 4.92% |
| Asian Language** | 3,595 | 1.21% | 7,422 | 2.23% |
| Other | 940 | 0.32% | 1,673 | 0.50% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 296,978 | 100.00% | 333,553 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 13,833 | 47.76% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,101 | 37.15% |
| Asian Language** | 4,314 | 58.12% |
| Other Language | 558 | 33.35% |
| Total | 24,806 | 7.44% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 6,308 | 42.11% |
| Other Indo-European* | 4,014 | 30.27% |
| Asian Language** | 1,784 | 49.62% |
| Other Language | 255 | 27.13% |
| Total | 12,361 | 4.16% |
* "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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