CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
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LANGUAGE
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 | 1,036,681 | 90.77% | 1,110,198 | 92.20% |
| Spanish | 5,934 | 0.52% | 9,611 | 0.80% |
| Other Indo-European* | 93,189 | 8.16% | 76,079 | 6.32% |
| Asian Language** | 4,178 | 0.37% | 5,737 | 0.48% |
| Other | 2,140 | 0.19% | 2,539 | 0.21% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 1,142,122 | 100.00% | 1,204,164 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,664 | 27.72% |
| Other Indo-European* | 18,165 | 23.88% |
| Asian Language** | 2,485 | 43.32% |
| Other Language | 749 | 29.50% |
| Total | 24,063 | 2.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,573 | 26.51% |
| Other Indo-European* | 23,681 | 25.41% |
| Asian Language** | 2,162 | 51.75% |
| Other Language | 343 | 16.03% |
| Total | 27,759 | 2.43% |
* "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).
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