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 | 213,455 | 94.35% | 235,349 | 94.05% |
| Spanish | 1,260 | 0.56% | 2,289 | 0.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 9,961 | 4.40% | 9,426 | 3.77% |
| Asian Language** | 1,295 | 0.57% | 2,433 | 0.97% |
| Other | 264 | 0.12% | 740 | 0.30% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 226,235 | 100.00% | 250,237 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 614 | 26.82% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,245 | 23.82% |
| Asian Language** | 1,075 | 44.18% |
| Other Language | 341 | 46.08% |
| Total | 4,275 | 1.71% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 308 | 24.44% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,693 | 27.04% |
| Asian Language** | 770 | 59.46% |
| Other Language | 40 | 15.15% |
| Total | 3,811 | 1.68% |
* "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