Madera 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 |
56,662 |
70.25% |
71,693 |
63.04% |
Spanish |
21,104 |
26.17% |
38,011 |
33.42% |
Other Indo-European* |
2,169 |
2.69% |
2,319 |
2.04% |
Asian Language** |
439 |
0.54% |
869 |
0.76% |
Other |
281 |
0.35% |
830 |
0.73% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
80,655 |
100.00% |
113,722 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
20,504 |
53.94% |
Other Indo-European* |
730 |
31.48% |
Asian Language** |
266 |
30.61% |
Other Language |
544 |
65.54% |
Total |
22,044 |
19.38% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
10,641 |
50.42% |
Other Indo-European* |
566 |
26.09% |
Asian Language** |
308 |
70.16% |
Other Language |
128 |
45.55% |
Total |
11,643 |
14.44% |
* "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