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 | 36,536 | 95.74% | 40,103 | 96.22% |
| Spanish | 183 | 0.48% | 335 | 0.80% |
| Other Indo-European* | 853 | 2.24% | 624 | 1.50% |
| Asian Language** | 46 | 0.12% | 98 | 0.24% |
| Other | 542 | 1.42% | 520 | 1.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 38,160 | 100.00% | 41,680 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 107 | 31.94% |
| Other Indo-European* | 138 | 22.12% |
| Asian Language** | 46 | 46.94% |
| Other Language | 78 | 15.00% |
| Total | 369 | 0.89% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 24 | 13.11% |
| Other Indo-European* | 182 | 21.34% |
| Asian Language** | 23 | 50.00% |
| Other Language | 104 | 19.19% |
| Total | 333 | 0.87% |
* "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