CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Springfield, MA |
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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 | 465,959 | 83.03% | 460,180 | 80.43% |
| Spanish | 39,573 | 7.05% | 60,176 | 10.52% |
| Other Indo-European* | 48,449 | 8.63% | 41,381 | 7.23% |
| Asian Language** | 5,661 | 1.01% | 7,890 | 1.38% |
| Other | 1,576 | 0.28% | 2,530 | 0.44% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 561,218 | 100.00% | 572,157 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 25,128 | 41.76% |
| Other Indo-European* | 14,884 | 35.97% |
| Asian Language** | 3,851 | 48.81% |
| Other Language | 527 | 20.83% |
| Total | 44,390 | 7.76% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 18,910 | 47.79% |
| Other Indo-European* | 15,266 | 31.51% |
| Asian Language** | 3,236 | 57.16% |
| Other Language | 289 | 18.34% |
| Total | 37,701 | 6.72% |
* "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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