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 | 15,847 | 96.62% | 17,829 | 94.80% |
| Spanish | 292 | 1.78% | 517 | 2.75% |
| Other Indo-European* | 231 | 1.41% | 314 | 1.67% |
| Asian Language** | 22 | 0.13% | 126 | 0.67% |
| Other | 9 | 0.05% | 21 | 0.11% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 16,401 | 100.00% | 18,807 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 185 | 35.78% |
| Other Indo-European* | 113 | 35.99% |
| Asian Language** | 46 | 36.51% |
| Other Language | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 344 | 1.83% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 53 | 18.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 44 | 19.05% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | - |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 97 | 0.59% |
* "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