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 | 1,419,472 | 79.57% | 1,394,911 | 73.79% |
| Spanish | 156,649 | 8.78% | 240,373 | 12.72% |
| Other Indo-European* | 164,947 | 9.25% | 186,271 | 9.85% |
| Asian Language** | 30,506 | 1.71% | 46,849 | 2.48% |
| Other | 12,437 | 0.70% | 22,001 | 1.16% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 1,784,011 | 100.00% | 1,890,405 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 121,388 | 50.50% |
| Other Indo-European* | 74,117 | 39.79% |
| Asian Language** | 17,890 | 38.19% |
| Other Language | 4,945 | 22.48% |
| Total | 218,340 | 11.55% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 80,325 | 51.28% |
| Other Indo-European* | 67,454 | 40.89% |
| Asian Language** | 13,261 | 43.47% |
| Other Language | 3,196 | 25.70% |
| Total | 164,236 | 9.21% |
* "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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