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 | 4,659 | 87.71% | 4,800 | 83.64% |
| Spanish | 152 | 2.86% | 141 | 2.46% |
| Other Indo-European* | 142 | 2.67% | 483 | 8.42% |
| Asian Language** | 58 | 1.09% | 28 | 0.49% |
| Other | 301 | 5.67% | 287 | 5.00% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 5,312 | 100.00% | 5,739 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 27 | 19.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 315 | 65.22% |
| Asian Language** | 11 | 39.29% |
| Other Language | 79 | 27.53% |
| Total | 432 | 7.53% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 17 | 11.18% |
| Other Indo-European* | 15 | 10.56% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 22.41% |
| Other Language | 129 | 42.86% |
| Total | 174 | 3.28% |
* "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