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 | 49,948 | 97.74% | 60,754 | 96.53% |
| Spanish | 540 | 1.06% | 1,420 | 2.26% |
| Other Indo-European* | 492 | 0.96% | 554 | 0.88% |
| Asian Language** | 109 | 0.21% | 165 | 0.26% |
| Other | 16 | 0.03% | 44 | 0.07% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 51,105 | 100.00% | 62,937 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 420 | 29.58% |
| Other Indo-European* | 122 | 22.02% |
| Asian Language** | 115 | 69.70% |
| Other Language | 9 | 20.45% |
| Total | 666 | 1.06% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 249 | 46.11% |
| Other Indo-European* | 138 | 28.05% |
| Asian Language** | 32 | 29.36% |
| Other Language | 10 | 62.50% |
| Total | 429 | 0.84% |
* "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