CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
St. Cloud, MN |
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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 | 130,012 | 94.66% | 146,921 | 93.98% |
| Spanish | 896 | 0.65% | 2,855 | 1.83% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,026 | 4.39% | 4,560 | 2.92% |
| Asian Language** | 357 | 0.26% | 1,674 | 1.07% |
| Other | 51 | 0.04% | 317 | 0.20% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 137,342 | 100.00% | 156,327 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,213 | 42.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,059 | 23.22% |
| Asian Language** | 903 | 53.94% |
| Other Language | 91 | 28.71% |
| Total | 3,266 | 2.09% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 252 | 28.13% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,651 | 27.40% |
| Asian Language** | 117 | 32.77% |
| Other Language | 17 | 33.33% |
| Total | 2,037 | 1.48% |
* "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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