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 | 24,524 | 98.32% | 24,525 | 97.36% |
| Spanish | 209 | 0.84% | 343 | 1.36% |
| Other Indo-European* | 153 | 0.61% | 216 | 0.86% |
| Asian Language** | 2 | 0.01% | 44 | 0.17% |
| Other | 56 | 0.22% | 62 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 24,944 | 100.00% | 25,190 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 91 | 26.53% |
| Other Indo-European* | 30 | 13.89% |
| Asian Language** | 10 | 22.73% |
| Other Language | 23 | 37.10% |
| Total | 154 | 0.61% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 37 | 17.70% |
| Other Indo-European* | 64 | 41.83% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | - |
| Other Language | 10 | 17.86% |
| Total | 111 | 0.44% |
* "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