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 | 16,437 | 97.08% | 21,107 | 96.78% |
| Spanish | 123 | 0.73% | 321 | 1.47% |
| Other Indo-European* | 333 | 1.97% | 311 | 1.43% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 0.07% | 26 | 0.12% |
| Other | 26 | 0.15% | 45 | 0.21% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 16,931 | 100.00% | 21,810 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 86 | 26.79% |
| Other Indo-European* | 59 | 18.97% |
| Asian Language** | 2 | 7.69% |
| Other Language | 2 | 4.44% |
| Total | 149 | 0.68% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 51 | 41.46% |
| Other Indo-European* | 84 | 25.23% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | - |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 135 | 0.80% |
* "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