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 | 70,330 | 94.15% | 74,704 | 94.25% |
| Spanish | 1,382 | 1.85% | 2,161 | 2.73% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,418 | 3.24% | 1,614 | 2.04% |
| Asian Language** | 550 | 0.74% | 664 | 0.84% |
| Other | 22 | 0.03% | 119 | 0.15% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 74,702 | 100.00% | 79,262 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 831 | 38.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 316 | 19.58% |
| Asian Language** | 378 | 56.93% |
| Other Language | 46 | 38.66% |
| Total | 1,571 | 1.98% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 445 | 32.20% |
| Other Indo-European* | 684 | 28.29% |
| Asian Language** | 308 | 56.00% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 1,437 | 1.92% |
* "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