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 | 87,125 | 96.57% | 91,036 | 96.32% |
| Spanish | 1,063 | 1.18% | 1,884 | 1.99% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,542 | 1.71% | 1,015 | 1.07% |
| Asian Language** | 428 | 0.47% | 501 | 0.53% |
| Other | 58 | 0.06% | 83 | 0.09% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 90,216 | 100.00% | 94,519 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 581 | 30.84% |
| Other Indo-European* | 258 | 25.42% |
| Asian Language** | 259 | 51.70% |
| Other Language | 17 | 20.48% |
| Total | 1,115 | 1.18% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 367 | 34.52% |
| Other Indo-European* | 618 | 40.08% |
| Asian Language** | 134 | 31.31% |
| Other Language | 8 | 13.79% |
| Total | 1,127 | 1.25% |
* "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