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 | 10,243 | 86.10% | 9,486 | 75.48% |
| Spanish | 345 | 2.90% | 650 | 5.17% |
| Other Indo-European* | 155 | 1.30% | 263 | 2.09% |
| Asian Language** | 975 | 8.20% | 2,023 | 16.10% |
| Other | 179 | 1.50% | 145 | 1.15% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 11,897 | 100.00% | 12,567 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 269 | 41.38% |
| Other Indo-European* | 42 | 15.97% |
| Asian Language** | 1,185 | 58.58% |
| Other Language | 58 | 40.00% |
| Total | 1,554 | 12.37% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 116 | 33.62% |
| Other Indo-European* | 19 | 12.26% |
| Asian Language** | 511 | 52.41% |
| Other Language | 39 | 21.79% |
| Total | 685 | 5.76% |
* "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