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 | 13,001 | 97.83% | 14,972 | 97.61% |
| Spanish | 96 | 0.72% | 221 | 1.44% |
| Other Indo-European* | 155 | 1.17% | 101 | 0.66% |
| Asian Language** | 33 | 0.25% | 36 | 0.23% |
| Other | 5 | 0.04% | 8 | 0.05% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 13,290 | 100.00% | 15,338 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 65 | 29.41% |
| Other Indo-European* | 32 | 31.68% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 36.11% |
| Other Language | 2 | 25.00% |
| Total | 112 | 0.73% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 48 | 50.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 54 | 34.84% |
| Asian Language** | 17 | 51.52% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 119 | 0.90% |
* "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