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 | 29,514 | 97.04% | 37,308 | 97.33% |
| Spanish | 350 | 1.15% | 500 | 1.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 413 | 1.36% | 340 | 0.89% |
| Asian Language** | 91 | 0.30% | 162 | 0.42% |
| Other | 47 | 0.15% | 20 | 0.05% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 30,415 | 100.00% | 38,330 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 121 | 24.20% |
| Other Indo-European* | 98 | 28.82% |
| Asian Language** | 130 | 80.25% |
| Other Language | 8 | 40.00% |
| Total | 357 | 0.93% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 56 | 16.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 159 | 38.50% |
| Asian Language** | 27 | 29.67% |
| Other Language | 6 | 12.77% |
| Total | 248 | 0.82% |
* "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