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 | 2,212,838 | 96.03% | 2,301,039 | 94.68% |
| Spanish | 25,823 | 1.12% | 43,490 | 1.79% |
| Other Indo-European* | 47,541 | 2.06% | 54,834 | 2.26% |
| Asian Language** | 14,009 | 0.61% | 23,514 | 0.97% |
| Other | 4,137 | 0.18% | 7,539 | 0.31% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 2,304,348 | 100.00% | 2,430,416 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 16,143 | 37.12% |
| Other Indo-European* | 18,444 | 33.64% |
| Asian Language** | 11,711 | 49.80% |
| Other Language | 2,324 | 30.83% |
| Total | 48,622 | 2.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 8,503 | 32.93% |
| Other Indo-European* | 13,899 | 29.24% |
| Asian Language** | 6,481 | 46.26% |
| Other Language | 1,147 | 27.73% |
| Total | 30,030 | 1.30% |
* "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).
Home | About | Help | Contact | Use Policy