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 | 54,173 | 95.43% | 55,731 | 94.86% |
| Spanish | 671 | 1.18% | 1,244 | 2.12% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,686 | 2.97% | 1,457 | 2.48% |
| Asian Language** | 152 | 0.27% | 203 | 0.35% |
| Other | 84 | 0.15% | 117 | 0.20% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 56,766 | 100.00% | 58,752 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 277 | 22.27% |
| Other Indo-European* | 428 | 29.38% |
| Asian Language** | 56 | 27.59% |
| Other Language | 31 | 26.50% |
| Total | 792 | 1.35% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 266 | 39.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 467 | 27.70% |
| Asian Language** | 53 | 34.87% |
| Other Language | 9 | 10.71% |
| Total | 795 | 1.40% |
* "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