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 | 44,381 | 97.59% | 43,949 | 97.96% |
| Spanish | 275 | 0.60% | 317 | 0.71% |
| Other Indo-European* | 612 | 1.35% | 427 | 0.95% |
| Asian Language** | 146 | 0.32% | 87 | 0.19% |
| Other | 65 | 0.14% | 86 | 0.19% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 45,479 | 100.00% | 44,866 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 120 | 37.85% |
| Other Indo-European* | 141 | 33.02% |
| Asian Language** | 25 | 28.74% |
| Other Language | 9 | 10.47% |
| Total | 295 | 0.66% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 140 | 50.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 131 | 21.41% |
| Asian Language** | 25 | 17.12% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 296 | 0.65% |
* "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