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 | 150,363 | 96.65% | 190,705 | 94.70% |
| Spanish | 2,144 | 1.38% | 5,787 | 2.87% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,377 | 1.53% | 3,111 | 1.54% |
| Asian Language** | 499 | 0.32% | 1,532 | 0.76% |
| Other | 187 | 0.12% | 248 | 0.12% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 155,570 | 100.00% | 201,383 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,784 | 48.11% |
| Other Indo-European* | 822 | 26.42% |
| Asian Language** | 662 | 43.21% |
| Other Language | 72 | 29.03% |
| Total | 4,340 | 2.16% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 803 | 37.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 763 | 32.10% |
| Asian Language** | 241 | 48.30% |
| Other Language | 84 | 44.92% |
| Total | 1,891 | 1.22% |
* "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