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 | 28,889 | 96.32% | 29,562 | 90.17% |
| Spanish | 536 | 1.79% | 2,774 | 8.46% |
| Other Indo-European* | 477 | 1.59% | 301 | 0.92% |
| Asian Language** | 39 | 0.13% | 110 | 0.34% |
| Other | 51 | 0.17% | 38 | 0.12% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 29,992 | 100.00% | 32,785 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,672 | 60.27% |
| Other Indo-European* | 73 | 24.25% |
| Asian Language** | 61 | 55.45% |
| Other Language | 14 | 36.84% |
| Total | 1,820 | 5.55% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 249 | 46.46% |
| Other Indo-European* | 130 | 27.25% |
| Asian Language** | 29 | 74.36% |
| Other Language | 19 | 37.25% |
| Total | 427 | 1.42% |
* "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