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 | 58,404 | 97.60% | 75,749 | 96.94% |
| Spanish | 693 | 1.16% | 1,162 | 1.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 471 | 0.79% | 751 | 0.96% |
| Asian Language** | 209 | 0.35% | 390 | 0.50% |
| Other | 61 | 0.10% | 92 | 0.12% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 59,838 | 100.00% | 78,144 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 544 | 46.82% |
| Other Indo-European* | 147 | 19.57% |
| Asian Language** | 132 | 33.85% |
| Other Language | 24 | 26.09% |
| Total | 847 | 1.08% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 223 | 32.18% |
| Other Indo-European* | 117 | 24.84% |
| Asian Language** | 58 | 27.75% |
| Other Language | 17 | 27.87% |
| Total | 415 | 0.69% |
* "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