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 | 129,984 | 94.91% | 130,938 | 95.44% |
| Spanish | 952 | 0.70% | 1,075 | 0.78% |
| Other Indo-European* | 5,188 | 3.79% | 4,267 | 3.11% |
| Asian Language** | 642 | 0.47% | 579 | 0.42% |
| Other | 196 | 0.14% | 331 | 0.24% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 136,962 | 100.00% | 137,190 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 316 | 29.40% |
| Other Indo-European* | 997 | 23.37% |
| Asian Language** | 254 | 43.87% |
| Other Language | 137 | 41.39% |
| Total | 1,704 | 1.24% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 287 | 30.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,230 | 23.71% |
| Asian Language** | 317 | 49.38% |
| Other Language | 35 | 17.86% |
| Total | 1,869 | 1.36% |
* "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