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 | 26,898 | 98.51% | 23,883 | 98.53% |
| Spanish | 221 | 0.81% | 221 | 0.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 166 | 0.61% | 90 | 0.37% |
| Asian Language** | 2 | 0.01% | 8 | 0.03% |
| Other | 17 | 0.06% | 38 | 0.16% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 27,304 | 100.00% | 24,240 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 100 | 45.25% |
| Other Indo-European* | 25 | 27.78% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | 0.00% |
| Other Language | 2 | 5.26% |
| Total | 127 | 0.52% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 91 | 41.18% |
| Other Indo-European* | 20 | 12.05% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | - |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 111 | 0.41% |
* "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