Lee County
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 |
289,746 |
91.87% |
361,208 |
86.46% |
Spanish |
13,051 |
4.14% |
36,086 |
8.64% |
Other Indo-European* |
10,766 |
3.41% |
17,177 |
4.11% |
Asian Language** |
1,094 |
0.35% |
2,114 |
0.51% |
Other |
731 |
0.23% |
1,198 |
0.29% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
315,388 |
100.00% |
417,783 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
17,377 |
48.15% |
Other Indo-European* |
5,822 |
33.89% |
Asian Language** |
886 |
41.91% |
Other Language |
339 |
28.30% |
Total |
24,424 |
5.85% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
5,163 |
39.56% |
Other Indo-European* |
3,146 |
29.22% |
Asian Language** |
439 |
40.13% |
Other Language |
172 |
23.53% |
Total |
8,920 |
2.83% |
* "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).
Home | About | Help | Contact | Use Policy