Spokane County
LANGUAGE
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 |
319,729 |
95.52% |
364,642 |
93.41% |
Spanish |
3,777 |
1.13% |
7,930 |
2.03% |
Other Indo-European* |
6,687 |
2.00% |
11,523 |
2.95% |
Asian Language** |
3,682 |
1.10% |
5,431 |
1.39% |
Other |
848 |
0.25% |
840 |
0.22% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
334,723 |
100.00% |
390,366 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
2,284 |
28.80% |
Other Indo-European* |
5,042 |
43.76% |
Asian Language** |
2,714 |
49.97% |
Other Language |
344 |
40.95% |
Total |
10,384 |
2.66% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
1,021 |
27.03% |
Other Indo-European* |
1,594 |
23.84% |
Asian Language** |
2,118 |
57.52% |
Other Language |
228 |
26.89% |
Total |
4,961 |
1.48% |
* "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