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 | 66,042 | 71.23% | 82,664 | 72.89% |
| Spanish | 5,522 | 5.96% | 7,258 | 6.40% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,279 | 1.38% | 1,472 | 1.30% |
| Asian Language** | 514 | 0.55% | 525 | 0.46% |
| Other | 19,360 | 20.88% | 21,492 | 18.95% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 92,717 | 100.00% | 113,411 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,918 | 40.20% |
| Other Indo-European* | 287 | 19.50% |
| Asian Language** | 175 | 33.33% |
| Other Language | 7,527 | 35.02% |
| Total | 10,907 | 9.62% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,787 | 32.36% |
| Other Indo-European* | 260 | 20.33% |
| Asian Language** | 256 | 49.81% |
| Other Language | 8,968 | 46.32% |
| Total | 11,271 | 12.16% |
* "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