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 | 25,270 | 97.98% | 27,038 | 97.42% |
| Spanish | 248 | 0.96% | 383 | 1.38% |
| Other Indo-European* | 220 | 0.85% | 221 | 0.80% |
| Asian Language** | 27 | 0.10% | 90 | 0.32% |
| Other | 26 | 0.10% | 23 | 0.08% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 25,791 | 100.00% | 27,755 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 112 | 29.24% |
| Other Indo-European* | 73 | 33.03% |
| Asian Language** | 34 | 37.78% |
| Other Language | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 219 | 0.79% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 114 | 45.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 119 | 54.09% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | - |
| Other Language | 4 | 15.38% |
| Total | 237 | 0.92% |
* "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