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 | 38,833 | 96.58% | 39,870 | 97.63% |
| Spanish | 639 | 1.59% | 420 | 1.03% |
| Other Indo-European* | 641 | 1.59% | 512 | 1.25% |
| Asian Language** | 63 | 0.16% | 24 | 0.06% |
| Other | 31 | 0.08% | 11 | 0.03% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 40,207 | 100.00% | 40,837 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 206 | 49.05% |
| Other Indo-European* | 162 | 31.64% |
| Asian Language** | 7 | 29.17% |
| Other Language | 6 | 54.55% |
| Total | 381 | 0.93% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 288 | 45.07% |
| Other Indo-European* | 190 | 29.64% |
| Asian Language** | 25 | 39.68% |
| Other Language | 24 | 77.42% |
| Total | 527 | 1.31% |
* "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