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 | 33,659 | 93.87% | 43,791 | 93.66% |
| Spanish | 855 | 2.38% | 1,574 | 3.37% |
| Other Indo-European* | 908 | 2.53% | 706 | 1.51% |
| Asian Language** | 293 | 0.82% | 473 | 1.01% |
| Other | 143 | 0.40% | 213 | 0.46% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 35,858 | 100.00% | 46,757 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 831 | 52.80% |
| Other Indo-European* | 109 | 15.44% |
| Asian Language** | 228 | 48.20% |
| Other Language | 97 | 45.54% |
| Total | 1,265 | 2.71% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 350 | 40.94% |
| Other Indo-European* | 251 | 27.64% |
| Asian Language** | 94 | 32.08% |
| Other Language | 38 | 26.57% |
| Total | 733 | 2.04% |
* "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