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 | 36,768 | 94.88% | 39,474 | 95.37% |
| Spanish | 1,001 | 2.58% | 1,210 | 2.92% |
| Other Indo-European* | 846 | 2.18% | 597 | 1.44% |
| Asian Language** | 118 | 0.30% | 50 | 0.12% |
| Other | 21 | 0.05% | 58 | 0.14% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 38,754 | 100.00% | 41,389 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 478 | 39.50% |
| Other Indo-European* | 142 | 23.79% |
| Asian Language** | 27 | 54.00% |
| Other Language | 11 | 18.97% |
| Total | 658 | 1.59% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 490 | 48.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 192 | 22.70% |
| Asian Language** | 33 | 27.97% |
| Other Language | 19 | 90.48% |
| Total | 734 | 1.89% |
* "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