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 | 14,236 | 98.64% | 15,699 | 98.36% |
| Spanish | 75 | 0.52% | 186 | 1.17% |
| Other Indo-European* | 110 | 0.76% | 63 | 0.39% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 0.08% | 12 | 0.08% |
| Other | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 14,433 | 100.00% | 15,960 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 92 | 49.46% |
| Other Indo-European* | 14 | 22.22% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 100.00% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 118 | 0.74% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 29 | 38.67% |
| Other Indo-European* | 20 | 18.18% |
| Asian Language** | 6 | 50.00% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 55 | 0.38% |
* "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