CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
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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 | 326,259 | 93.65% | 369,030 | 91.24% |
| Spanish | 7,481 | 2.15% | 14,794 | 3.66% |
| Other Indo-European* | 11,645 | 3.34% | 13,857 | 3.43% |
| Asian Language** | 2,117 | 0.61% | 5,307 | 1.31% |
| Other | 873 | 0.25% | 1,456 | 0.36% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 348,375 | 100.00% | 404,444 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 7,322 | 49.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,665 | 26.45% |
| Asian Language** | 2,090 | 39.38% |
| Other Language | 328 | 22.53% |
| Total | 13,405 | 3.31% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 3,403 | 45.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,743 | 23.56% |
| Asian Language** | 957 | 45.21% |
| Other Language | 229 | 26.23% |
| Total | 7,332 | 2.10% |
* "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).
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