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 | 35,943 | 36.19% | 42,305 | 32.16% |
| Spanish | 61,300 | 61.73% | 85,907 | 65.31% |
| Other Indo-European* | 651 | 0.66% | 685 | 0.52% |
| Asian Language** | 1,040 | 1.05% | 2,178 | 1.66% |
| Other | 372 | 0.37% | 455 | 0.35% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 99,306 | 100.00% | 131,530 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 43,554 | 50.70% |
| Other Indo-European* | 153 | 22.34% |
| Asian Language** | 1,288 | 59.14% |
| Other Language | 149 | 32.75% |
| Total | 45,144 | 34.32% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 30,709 | 50.10% |
| Other Indo-European* | 192 | 29.49% |
| Asian Language** | 500 | 48.08% |
| Other Language | 121 | 32.53% |
| Total | 31,522 | 31.74% |
* "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