CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ |
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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 | 1,720,979 | 83.56% | 2,274,116 | 75.80% |
| Spanish | 249,843 | 12.13% | 577,237 | 19.24% |
| Other Indo-European* | 48,822 | 2.37% | 72,534 | 2.42% |
| Asian Language** | 20,473 | 0.99% | 45,905 | 1.53% |
| Other | 19,467 | 0.95% | 30,541 | 1.02% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 2,059,584 | 100.00% | 3,000,333 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 295,062 | 51.12% |
| Other Indo-European* | 20,168 | 27.80% |
| Asian Language** | 20,590 | 44.85% |
| Other Language | 8,024 | 26.27% |
| Total | 343,844 | 11.46% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 100,816 | 40.35% |
| Other Indo-European* | 13,042 | 26.71% |
| Asian Language** | 10,250 | 50.07% |
| Other Language | 6,013 | 30.89% |
| Total | 130,121 | 6.32% |
* "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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