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 | 250,555 | 94.20% | 278,545 | 92.66% |
| Spanish | 6,021 | 2.26% | 10,494 | 3.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,059 | 2.28% | 6,805 | 2.26% |
| Asian Language** | 2,378 | 0.89% | 4,032 | 1.34% |
| Other | 957 | 0.36% | 748 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 265,970 | 100.00% | 300,624 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 4,342 | 41.38% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,655 | 24.32% |
| Asian Language** | 2,068 | 51.29% |
| Other Language | 210 | 28.07% |
| Total | 8,275 | 2.75% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,044 | 33.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,489 | 24.58% |
| Asian Language** | 1,189 | 50.00% |
| Other Language | 300 | 31.35% |
| Total | 5,022 | 1.89% |
* "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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