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 | 1,132 | 18.53% | 1,052 | 15.60% |
| Spanish | 4,959 | 81.18% | 5,656 | 83.85% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3 | 0.05% | 29 | 0.43% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 0.21% | 8 | 0.12% |
| Other | 2 | 0.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 6,109 | 100.00% | 6,745 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 3,057 | 54.05% |
| Other Indo-European* | 5 | 17.24% |
| Asian Language** | 6 | 75.00% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 3,068 | 45.49% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,405 | 48.50% |
| Other Indo-European* | 0 | - |
| Asian Language** | 7 | 53.85% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 2,412 | 39.48% |
* "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