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 | 242,150 | 94.72% | 248,148 | 94.11% |
| Spanish | 2,956 | 1.16% | 5,481 | 2.08% |
| Other Indo-European* | 9,189 | 3.59% | 8,218 | 3.12% |
| Asian Language** | 880 | 0.34% | 1,119 | 0.42% |
| Other | 462 | 0.18% | 712 | 0.27% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 255,637 | 100.00% | 263,678 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,734 | 31.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,875 | 34.98% |
| Asian Language** | 507 | 45.31% |
| Other Language | 346 | 48.60% |
| Total | 5,462 | 2.07% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,161 | 39.28% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,782 | 30.28% |
| Asian Language** | 411 | 46.70% |
| Other Language | 141 | 30.52% |
| Total | 4,495 | 1.76% |
* "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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