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 | 15,325 | 96.60% | 17,596 | 95.53% |
| Spanish | 154 | 0.97% | 267 | 1.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 51 | 0.32% | 142 | 0.77% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 0.08% | 35 | 0.19% |
| Other | 321 | 2.02% | 380 | 2.06% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 15,864 | 100.00% | 18,420 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 47 | 17.60% |
| Other Indo-European* | 24 | 16.90% |
| Asian Language** | 32 | 91.43% |
| Other Language | 117 | 30.79% |
| Total | 220 | 1.19% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 85 | 55.19% |
| Other Indo-European* | 32 | 62.75% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 100.00% |
| Other Language | 147 | 45.79% |
| Total | 277 | 1.75% |
* "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