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 | 72,048 | 77.74% | 90,879 | 75.94% |
| Spanish | 912 | 0.98% | 2,613 | 2.18% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,379 | 1.49% | 1,943 | 1.62% |
| Asian Language** | 18,294 | 19.74% | 24,069 | 20.11% |
| Other | 46 | 0.05% | 171 | 0.14% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 92,679 | 100.00% | 119,675 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 940 | 35.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 372 | 19.15% |
| Asian Language** | 12,938 | 53.75% |
| Other Language | 34 | 19.88% |
| Total | 14,284 | 11.94% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 256 | 28.07% |
| Other Indo-European* | 237 | 17.19% |
| Asian Language** | 9,696 | 53.00% |
| Other Language | 9 | 19.57% |
| Total | 10,198 | 11.00% |
* "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