Census Trend Charts Demographic Maps Rankings & Comparisons Segregation Data  

Zoom in and out of geography at levels: US, States or Metro Areas, and Counties within States.

You can zoom out to United States


Visit the SSDAN Web Site
CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.

Binghamton, NY

Print-Friendly Version

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 228,839 93.05% 219,042 92.13%
Spanish 3,023 1.23% 4,458 1.88%
Other Indo-European* 10,648 4.33% 9,304 3.91%
Asian Language** 2,554 1.04% 3,977 1.67%
Other 868 0.35% 974 0.41%
Total Population Age 5+ 245,932 100.00% 237,755 100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
Language Spoken at Home: Number Percent
Spanish 1,086 24.36%
Other Indo-European* 3,070 33.00%
Asian Language** 1,608 40.43%
Other Language 249 25.56%
Total 6,013 2.53%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
Language Spoken at Home: Number Percent
Spanish 880 29.11%
Other Indo-European* 3,193 29.99%
Asian Language** 1,226 48.00%
Other Language 134 15.44%
Total 5,433 2.21%

* "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