CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Pittsburgh, PA |
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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 | 2,119,808 | 94.38% | 2,111,700 | 94.78% |
| Spanish | 17,248 | 0.77% | 25,592 | 1.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 93,719 | 4.17% | 68,679 | 3.08% |
| Asian Language** | 8,892 | 0.40% | 15,643 | 0.70% |
| Other | 6,364 | 0.28% | 6,477 | 0.29% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 2,246,031 | 100.00% | 2,228,091 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 7,897 | 30.86% |
| Other Indo-European* | 18,510 | 26.95% |
| Asian Language** | 6,832 | 43.67% |
| Other Language | 1,527 | 23.58% |
| Total | 34,766 | 1.56% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 5,214 | 30.23% |
| Other Indo-European* | 25,965 | 27.71% |
| Asian Language** | 3,967 | 44.61% |
| Other Language | 1,765 | 27.73% |
| Total | 36,911 | 1.64% |
* "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).
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