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 | 48,822 | 97.25% | 51,946 | 95.94% |
| Spanish | 774 | 1.54% | 1,148 | 2.12% |
| Other Indo-European* | 512 | 1.02% | 541 | 1.00% |
| Asian Language** | 65 | 0.13% | 250 | 0.46% |
| Other | 28 | 0.06% | 259 | 0.48% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 50,201 | 100.00% | 54,144 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 638 | 55.57% |
| Other Indo-European* | 185 | 34.20% |
| Asian Language** | 107 | 42.80% |
| Other Language | 108 | 41.70% |
| Total | 1,038 | 1.92% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 286 | 36.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 153 | 29.88% |
| Asian Language** | 59 | 90.77% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 498 | 0.99% |
* "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