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 | 9,557 | 7.98% | 14,046 | 8.13% |
| Spanish | 109,578 | 91.51% | 157,857 | 91.35% |
| Other Indo-European* | 431 | 0.36% | 451 | 0.26% |
| Asian Language** | 153 | 0.13% | 398 | 0.23% |
| Other | 21 | 0.02% | 56 | 0.03% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 119,740 | 100.00% | 172,808 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 76,353 | 48.37% |
| Other Indo-European* | 120 | 26.61% |
| Asian Language** | 209 | 52.51% |
| Other Language | 23 | 41.07% |
| Total | 76,705 | 44.39% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 59,069 | 53.91% |
| Other Indo-European* | 114 | 26.45% |
| Asian Language** | 120 | 78.43% |
| Other Language | 8 | 38.10% |
| Total | 59,311 | 49.53% |
* "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