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 | 30,366 | 97.63% | 41,560 | 96.36% |
| Spanish | 291 | 0.94% | 848 | 1.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 286 | 0.92% | 487 | 1.13% |
| Asian Language** | 101 | 0.32% | 127 | 0.29% |
| Other | 59 | 0.19% | 108 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 31,103 | 100.00% | 43,130 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 260 | 30.66% |
| Other Indo-European* | 105 | 21.56% |
| Asian Language** | 80 | 62.99% |
| Other Language | 18 | 16.67% |
| Total | 463 | 1.07% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 97 | 33.33% |
| Other Indo-European* | 78 | 27.27% |
| Asian Language** | 42 | 41.58% |
| Other Language | 15 | 25.42% |
| Total | 232 | 0.75% |
* "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