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 | 57,264 | 96.38% | 69,811 | 95.79% |
| Spanish | 713 | 1.20% | 1,197 | 1.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,137 | 1.91% | 1,298 | 1.78% |
| Asian Language** | 239 | 0.40% | 294 | 0.40% |
| Other | 63 | 0.11% | 278 | 0.38% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 59,416 | 100.00% | 72,878 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 371 | 30.99% |
| Other Indo-European* | 371 | 28.58% |
| Asian Language** | 72 | 24.49% |
| Other Language | 95 | 34.17% |
| Total | 909 | 1.25% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 240 | 33.66% |
| Other Indo-European* | 246 | 21.64% |
| Asian Language** | 76 | 31.80% |
| Other Language | 9 | 14.29% |
| Total | 571 | 0.96% |
* "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