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 | 138,483 | 97.17% | 140,232 | 96.87% |
| Spanish | 1,308 | 0.92% | 2,247 | 1.55% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,241 | 1.57% | 1,549 | 1.07% |
| Asian Language** | 345 | 0.24% | 613 | 0.42% |
| Other | 132 | 0.09% | 126 | 0.09% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 142,509 | 100.00% | 144,767 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 724 | 32.22% |
| Other Indo-European* | 436 | 28.15% |
| Asian Language** | 217 | 35.40% |
| Other Language | 19 | 15.08% |
| Total | 1,396 | 0.96% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 373 | 28.52% |
| Other Indo-European* | 476 | 21.24% |
| Asian Language** | 98 | 28.41% |
| Other Language | 25 | 18.94% |
| Total | 972 | 0.68% |
* "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