CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Rockford, IL |
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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 | 284,290 | 93.26% | 311,117 | 90.08% |
| Spanish | 9,487 | 3.11% | 21,876 | 6.33% |
| Other Indo-European* | 8,323 | 2.73% | 8,314 | 2.41% |
| Asian Language** | 2,399 | 0.79% | 3,476 | 1.01% |
| Other | 330 | 0.11% | 579 | 0.17% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 304,829 | 100.00% | 345,362 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 10,801 | 49.37% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,684 | 32.28% |
| Asian Language** | 1,833 | 52.73% |
| Other Language | 150 | 25.91% |
| Total | 15,468 | 4.48% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 3,593 | 37.87% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,276 | 27.35% |
| Asian Language** | 1,348 | 56.19% |
| Other Language | 111 | 33.64% |
| Total | 7,328 | 2.40% |
* "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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