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 | 36,443 | 97.33% | 35,800 | 96.84% |
| Spanish | 206 | 0.55% | 522 | 1.41% |
| Other Indo-European* | 696 | 1.86% | 397 | 1.07% |
| Asian Language** | 53 | 0.14% | 159 | 0.43% |
| Other | 43 | 0.11% | 92 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 37,441 | 100.00% | 36,970 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 214 | 41.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 108 | 27.20% |
| Asian Language** | 107 | 67.30% |
| Other Language | 6 | 6.52% |
| Total | 435 | 1.18% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 49 | 23.79% |
| Other Indo-European* | 136 | 19.54% |
| Asian Language** | 26 | 49.06% |
| Other Language | 16 | 37.21% |
| Total | 227 | 0.61% |
* "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