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 | 22,833 | 95.28% | 25,534 | 95.79% |
| Spanish | 218 | 0.91% | 462 | 1.73% |
| Other Indo-European* | 876 | 3.66% | 601 | 2.25% |
| Asian Language** | 19 | 0.08% | 35 | 0.13% |
| Other | 19 | 0.08% | 25 | 0.09% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 23,965 | 100.00% | 26,657 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 182 | 39.39% |
| Other Indo-European* | 110 | 18.30% |
| Asian Language** | 16 | 45.71% |
| Other Language | 21 | 84.00% |
| Total | 329 | 1.23% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 51 | 23.39% |
| Other Indo-European* | 252 | 28.77% |
| Asian Language** | 13 | 68.42% |
| Other Language | 2 | 10.53% |
| Total | 318 | 1.33% |
* "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