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 | 35,294 | 97.18% | 36,510 | 96.02% |
| Spanish | 231 | 0.64% | 474 | 1.25% |
| Other Indo-European* | 761 | 2.10% | 953 | 2.51% |
| Asian Language** | 17 | 0.05% | 70 | 0.18% |
| Other | 17 | 0.05% | 17 | 0.04% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 36,320 | 100.00% | 38,024 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 144 | 30.38% |
| Other Indo-European* | 251 | 26.34% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 18.57% |
| Other Language | 11 | 64.71% |
| Total | 419 | 1.10% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 67 | 29.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 234 | 30.75% |
| Asian Language** | 15 | 88.24% |
| Other Language | 7 | 41.18% |
| Total | 323 | 0.89% |
* "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