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 | 31,603 | 95.81% | 39,887 | 95.93% |
| Spanish | 158 | 0.48% | 276 | 0.66% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,165 | 3.53% | 1,262 | 3.04% |
| Asian Language** | 43 | 0.13% | 96 | 0.23% |
| Other | 15 | 0.05% | 60 | 0.14% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 32,984 | 100.00% | 41,581 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 49 | 17.75% |
| Other Indo-European* | 288 | 22.82% |
| Asian Language** | 30 | 31.25% |
| Other Language | 13 | 21.67% |
| Total | 380 | 0.91% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 68 | 43.04% |
| Other Indo-European* | 236 | 20.26% |
| Asian Language** | 18 | 41.86% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 322 | 0.98% |
* "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