Buncombe County
LANGUAGE
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 |
158,345 |
96.57% |
183,265 |
94.08% |
Spanish |
2,200 |
1.34% |
6,441 |
3.31% |
Other Indo-European* |
2,553 |
1.56% |
3,493 |
1.79% |
Asian Language** |
602 |
0.37% |
1,253 |
0.64% |
Other |
272 |
0.17% |
339 |
0.17% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
163,972 |
100.00% |
194,791 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
3,363 |
52.21% |
Other Indo-European* |
1,233 |
35.30% |
Asian Language** |
424 |
33.84% |
Other Language |
102 |
30.09% |
Total |
5,122 |
2.63% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
776 |
35.27% |
Other Indo-European* |
724 |
28.36% |
Asian Language** |
358 |
59.47% |
Other Language |
109 |
40.07% |
Total |
1,967 |
1.20% |
* "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