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 | 192,381 | 93.81% | 194,596 | 94.13% |
| Spanish | 2,474 | 1.21% | 3,384 | 1.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 9,452 | 4.61% | 7,636 | 3.69% |
| Asian Language** | 399 | 0.19% | 558 | 0.27% |
| Other | 364 | 0.18% | 556 | 0.27% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 205,070 | 100.00% | 206,730 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,083 | 32.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,426 | 31.77% |
| Asian Language** | 297 | 53.23% |
| Other Language | 153 | 27.52% |
| Total | 3,959 | 1.92% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 913 | 36.90% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,855 | 30.21% |
| Asian Language** | 147 | 36.84% |
| Other Language | 95 | 26.10% |
| Total | 4,010 | 1.96% |
* "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