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 | 15,227 | 97.96% | 17,015 | 96.76% |
| Spanish | 106 | 0.68% | 236 | 1.34% |
| Other Indo-European* | 196 | 1.26% | 235 | 1.34% |
| Asian Language** | 7 | 0.05% | 80 | 0.45% |
| Other | 8 | 0.05% | 19 | 0.11% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 15,544 | 100.00% | 17,585 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 121 | 51.27% |
| Other Indo-European* | 46 | 19.57% |
| Asian Language** | 42 | 52.50% |
| Other Language | 7 | 36.84% |
| Total | 216 | 1.23% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 30 | 28.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 47 | 23.98% |
| Asian Language** | 5 | 71.43% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 82 | 0.53% |
* "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