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 | 3,816 | 32.36% | 4,950 | 34.36% |
| Spanish | 62 | 0.53% | 70 | 0.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 62 | 0.53% | 83 | 0.58% |
| Asian Language** | 68 | 0.58% | 168 | 1.17% |
| Other | 7,783 | 66.01% | 9,134 | 63.41% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 11,791 | 100.00% | 14,405 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 32 | 45.71% |
| Other Indo-European* | 40 | 48.19% |
| Asian Language** | 116 | 69.05% |
| Other Language | 4,095 | 44.83% |
| Total | 4,283 | 29.73% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 4 | 6.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 22 | 35.48% |
| Asian Language** | 25 | 36.76% |
| Other Language | 4,096 | 52.63% |
| Total | 4,147 | 35.17% |
* "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).
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