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 | 343,245 | 81.21% | 331,641 | 77.75% |
| Spanish | 36,320 | 8.59% | 55,218 | 12.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 39,509 | 9.35% | 33,483 | 7.85% |
| Asian Language** | 2,443 | 0.58% | 4,517 | 1.06% |
| Other | 1,135 | 0.27% | 1,699 | 0.40% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 422,652 | 100.00% | 426,558 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 23,693 | 42.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 13,241 | 39.55% |
| Asian Language** | 2,550 | 56.45% |
| Other Language | 459 | 27.02% |
| Total | 39,943 | 9.36% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 17,773 | 48.93% |
| Other Indo-European* | 13,045 | 33.02% |
| Asian Language** | 1,493 | 61.11% |
| Other Language | 244 | 21.50% |
| Total | 32,555 | 7.70% |
* "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