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 | 79,874 | 94.19% | 87,445 | 94.33% |
| Spanish | 3,216 | 3.79% | 3,858 | 4.16% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,208 | 1.42% | 969 | 1.05% |
| Asian Language** | 394 | 0.46% | 281 | 0.30% |
| Other | 106 | 0.13% | 146 | 0.16% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 84,798 | 100.00% | 92,699 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,323 | 34.29% |
| Other Indo-European* | 197 | 20.33% |
| Asian Language** | 131 | 46.62% |
| Other Language | 36 | 24.66% |
| Total | 1,687 | 1.82% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,104 | 34.33% |
| Other Indo-European* | 323 | 26.74% |
| Asian Language** | 164 | 41.62% |
| Other Language | 55 | 51.89% |
| Total | 1,646 | 1.94% |
* "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