CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
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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 | 730,153 | 96.08% | 774,966 | 93.45% |
| Spanish | 11,630 | 1.53% | 27,382 | 3.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 11,112 | 1.46% | 13,185 | 1.59% |
| Asian Language** | 5,662 | 0.75% | 10,186 | 1.23% |
| Other | 1,425 | 0.19% | 3,527 | 0.43% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 759,982 | 100.00% | 829,246 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 13,735 | 50.16% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,415 | 25.90% |
| Asian Language** | 5,626 | 55.23% |
| Other Language | 1,114 | 31.58% |
| Total | 23,890 | 2.88% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 4,077 | 35.06% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,438 | 30.94% |
| Asian Language** | 2,675 | 47.24% |
| Other Language | 281 | 19.72% |
| Total | 10,471 | 1.38% |
* "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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