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 | 34,626 | 97.35% | 53,401 | 95.70% |
| Spanish | 473 | 1.33% | 1,391 | 2.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 400 | 1.12% | 549 | 0.98% |
| Asian Language** | 64 | 0.18% | 406 | 0.73% |
| Other | 4 | 0.01% | 51 | 0.09% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 35,567 | 100.00% | 55,798 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 634 | 45.58% |
| Other Indo-European* | 184 | 33.52% |
| Asian Language** | 159 | 39.16% |
| Other Language | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 977 | 1.75% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 99 | 20.93% |
| Other Indo-European* | 136 | 34.00% |
| Asian Language** | 45 | 70.31% |
| Other Language | 4 | 100.00% |
| Total | 284 | 0.80% |
* "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