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 | 32,176 | 98.27% | 31,942 | 98.03% |
| Spanish | 149 | 0.46% | 382 | 1.17% |
| Other Indo-European* | 380 | 1.16% | 184 | 0.56% |
| Asian Language** | 18 | 0.05% | 28 | 0.09% |
| Other | 19 | 0.06% | 48 | 0.15% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 32,742 | 100.00% | 32,584 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 96 | 25.13% |
| Other Indo-European* | 56 | 30.43% |
| Asian Language** | 5 | 17.86% |
| Other Language | 4 | 8.33% |
| Total | 161 | 0.49% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 52 | 34.90% |
| Other Indo-European* | 150 | 39.47% |
| Asian Language** | 10 | 55.56% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 212 | 0.65% |
* "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