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 | 32,156 | 97.92% | 36,546 | 97.12% |
| Spanish | 203 | 0.62% | 533 | 1.42% |
| Other Indo-European* | 379 | 1.15% | 462 | 1.23% |
| Asian Language** | 72 | 0.22% | 74 | 0.20% |
| Other | 28 | 0.09% | 16 | 0.04% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 32,838 | 100.00% | 37,631 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 261 | 48.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 162 | 35.06% |
| Asian Language** | 34 | 45.95% |
| Other Language | 3 | 18.75% |
| Total | 460 | 1.22% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 23 | 11.33% |
| Other Indo-European* | 84 | 22.16% |
| Asian Language** | 21 | 29.17% |
| Other Language | 10 | 35.71% |
| Total | 138 | 0.42% |
* "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