CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
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LANGUAGE
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
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1990 |
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2000 |
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Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Only English |
1,268,931 |
83.55% |
1,258,786 |
79.12% |
Spanish |
95,009 |
6.26% |
157,650 |
9.91% |
Other Indo-European* |
130,987 |
8.63% |
136,175 |
8.56% |
Asian Language** |
14,544 |
0.96% |
28,065 |
1.76% |
Other |
9,212 |
0.61% |
10,333 |
0.65% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
1,518,683 |
100.00% |
1,591,009 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
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Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
72,799 |
46.18% |
Other Indo-European* |
50,289 |
36.93% |
Asian Language** |
13,058 |
46.53% |
Other Language |
3,007 |
29.10% |
Total |
139,153 |
8.75% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
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Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
44,375 |
46.71% |
Other Indo-European* |
44,742 |
34.16% |
Asian Language** |
6,808 |
46.81% |
Other Language |
2,891 |
31.38% |
Total |
98,816 |
6.51% |
* "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
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