CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
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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 | 640,866 | 93.29% | 635,579 | 92.67% |
| Spanish | 9,838 | 1.43% | 15,108 | 2.20% |
| Other Indo-European* | 29,305 | 4.27% | 24,749 | 3.61% |
| Asian Language** | 4,858 | 0.71% | 7,436 | 1.08% |
| Other | 2,110 | 0.31% | 2,980 | 0.43% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 686,977 | 100.00% | 685,852 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 5,426 | 35.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 7,725 | 31.21% |
| Asian Language** | 4,254 | 57.21% |
| Other Language | 727 | 24.40% |
| Total | 18,132 | 2.64% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 3,553 | 36.12% |
| Other Indo-European* | 8,767 | 29.92% |
| Asian Language** | 2,552 | 52.53% |
| Other Language | 514 | 24.36% |
| Total | 15,386 | 2.24% |
* "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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