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 | 175,636 | 95.60% | 190,515 | 94.31% |
| Spanish | 1,410 | 0.77% | 2,908 | 1.44% |
| Other Indo-European* | 5,104 | 2.78% | 6,217 | 3.08% |
| Asian Language** | 1,309 | 0.71% | 1,945 | 0.96% |
| Other | 260 | 0.14% | 425 | 0.21% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 183,719 | 100.00% | 202,010 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,073 | 36.90% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,197 | 35.34% |
| Asian Language** | 909 | 46.74% |
| Other Language | 179 | 42.12% |
| Total | 4,358 | 2.16% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 522 | 37.02% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,600 | 31.35% |
| Asian Language** | 739 | 56.46% |
| Other Language | 102 | 39.23% |
| Total | 2,963 | 1.61% |
* "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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