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 | 204,182 | 96.90% | 211,960 | 95.35% |
| Spanish | 2,022 | 0.96% | 4,083 | 1.84% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,159 | 1.50% | 3,895 | 1.75% |
| Asian Language** | 1,070 | 0.51% | 1,620 | 0.73% |
| Other | 285 | 0.14% | 735 | 0.33% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 210,718 | 100.00% | 222,293 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,411 | 34.56% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,172 | 30.09% |
| Asian Language** | 885 | 54.63% |
| Other Language | 247 | 33.61% |
| Total | 3,715 | 1.67% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 855 | 42.28% |
| Other Indo-European* | 889 | 28.14% |
| Asian Language** | 527 | 49.25% |
| Other Language | 51 | 17.89% |
| Total | 2,322 | 1.10% |
* "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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