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 | 4,921,230 | 61.81% | 4,799,166 | 55.23% |
| Spanish | 1,585,651 | 19.91% | 1,984,818 | 22.84% |
| Other Indo-European* | 953,720 | 11.98% | 1,176,418 | 13.54% |
| Asian Language** | 382,177 | 4.80% | 552,286 | 6.36% |
| Other | 119,409 | 1.50% | 176,716 | 2.03% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 7,962,187 | 100.00% | 8,689,404 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 998,327 | 50.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 514,863 | 43.77% |
| Asian Language** | 341,424 | 61.82% |
| Other Language | 57,423 | 32.49% |
| Total | 1,912,037 | 22.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 794,028 | 50.08% |
| Other Indo-European* | 388,838 | 40.77% |
| Asian Language** | 242,054 | 63.34% |
| Other Language | 39,733 | 33.27% |
| Total | 1,464,653 | 18.40% |
* "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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