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 | 41,327 | 97.16% | 50,099 | 96.97% |
| Spanish | 394 | 0.93% | 793 | 1.53% |
| Other Indo-European* | 581 | 1.37% | 694 | 1.34% |
| Asian Language** | 226 | 0.53% | 62 | 0.12% |
| Other | 7 | 0.02% | 16 | 0.03% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 42,535 | 100.00% | 51,664 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 207 | 26.10% |
| Other Indo-European* | 133 | 19.16% |
| Asian Language** | 53 | 85.48% |
| Other Language | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 393 | 0.76% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 132 | 33.50% |
| Other Indo-European* | 152 | 26.16% |
| Asian Language** | 100 | 44.25% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 384 | 0.90% |
* "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