CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
St. Joseph, MO |
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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 | 88,544 | 97.54% | 93,171 | 96.94% |
| Spanish | 1,084 | 1.19% | 1,578 | 1.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 921 | 1.01% | 1,044 | 1.09% |
| Asian Language** | 168 | 0.19% | 293 | 0.30% |
| Other | 63 | 0.07% | 27 | 0.03% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 90,780 | 100.00% | 96,113 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 605 | 38.34% |
| Other Indo-European* | 246 | 23.56% |
| Asian Language** | 89 | 30.38% |
| Other Language | 5 | 18.52% |
| Total | 945 | 0.98% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 363 | 33.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 286 | 31.05% |
| Asian Language** | 93 | 55.36% |
| Other Language | 13 | 20.63% |
| Total | 755 | 0.83% |
* "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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