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 | 102,587 | 84.47% | 133,144 | 79.75% |
| Spanish | 16,080 | 13.24% | 30,450 | 18.24% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,183 | 1.80% | 2,353 | 1.41% |
| Asian Language** | 534 | 0.44% | 752 | 0.45% |
| Other | 69 | 0.06% | 257 | 0.15% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 121,453 | 100.00% | 166,956 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 15,412 | 50.61% |
| Other Indo-European* | 451 | 19.17% |
| Asian Language** | 348 | 46.28% |
| Other Language | 138 | 53.70% |
| Total | 16,349 | 9.79% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 5,975 | 37.16% |
| Other Indo-European* | 522 | 23.91% |
| Asian Language** | 205 | 38.39% |
| Other Language | 17 | 24.64% |
| Total | 6,719 | 5.53% |
* "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