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 | 189,961 | 97.20% | 182,783 | 96.88% |
| Spanish | 1,717 | 0.88% | 2,040 | 1.08% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,724 | 1.39% | 2,230 | 1.18% |
| Asian Language** | 629 | 0.32% | 1,068 | 0.57% |
| Other | 399 | 0.20% | 553 | 0.29% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 195,430 | 100.00% | 188,674 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 658 | 32.25% |
| Other Indo-European* | 508 | 22.78% |
| Asian Language** | 313 | 29.31% |
| Other Language | 103 | 18.63% |
| Total | 1,582 | 0.84% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 668 | 38.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 822 | 30.18% |
| Asian Language** | 221 | 35.14% |
| Other Language | 98 | 24.56% |
| Total | 1,809 | 0.93% |
* "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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