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 | 9,505 | 80.94% | 11,959 | 80.76% |
| Spanish | 1,649 | 14.04% | 2,302 | 15.55% |
| Other Indo-European* | 182 | 1.55% | 174 | 1.18% |
| Asian Language** | 16 | 0.14% | 85 | 0.57% |
| Other | 391 | 3.33% | 288 | 1.94% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 11,743 | 100.00% | 14,808 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,154 | 50.13% |
| Other Indo-European* | 20 | 11.49% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 14.12% |
| Other Language | 125 | 43.40% |
| Total | 1,311 | 8.85% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 878 | 53.24% |
| Other Indo-European* | 31 | 17.03% |
| Asian Language** | 7 | 43.75% |
| Other Language | 167 | 42.71% |
| Total | 1,083 | 9.22% |
* "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