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 | 104,992 | 95.27% | 112,886 | 96.12% |
| Spanish | 1,754 | 1.59% | 1,624 | 1.38% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,946 | 2.67% | 2,348 | 2.00% |
| Asian Language** | 306 | 0.28% | 374 | 0.32% |
| Other | 208 | 0.19% | 216 | 0.18% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 110,206 | 100.00% | 117,448 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 613 | 37.75% |
| Other Indo-European* | 600 | 25.55% |
| Asian Language** | 187 | 50.00% |
| Other Language | 80 | 37.04% |
| Total | 1,480 | 1.26% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 687 | 39.17% |
| Other Indo-European* | 716 | 24.30% |
| Asian Language** | 133 | 43.46% |
| Other Language | 52 | 25.00% |
| Total | 1,588 | 1.44% |
* "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