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 | 184,060 | 92.29% | 218,481 | 87.74% |
| Spanish | 8,165 | 4.09% | 19,924 | 8.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 5,709 | 2.86% | 8,167 | 3.28% |
| Asian Language** | 1,038 | 0.52% | 1,674 | 0.67% |
| Other | 470 | 0.24% | 758 | 0.30% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 199,442 | 100.00% | 249,004 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 9,825 | 49.31% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,596 | 31.79% |
| Asian Language** | 848 | 50.66% |
| Other Language | 169 | 22.30% |
| Total | 13,438 | 5.40% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 3,794 | 46.47% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,788 | 31.32% |
| Asian Language** | 495 | 47.69% |
| Other Language | 113 | 24.04% |
| Total | 6,190 | 3.10% |
* "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