CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Rapid City, SD |
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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 | ||||
| 1990 | 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Only English | 69,967 | 94.78% | 78,107 | 94.92% |
| Spanish | 845 | 1.14% | 1,221 | 1.48% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,509 | 2.04% | 1,293 | 1.57% |
| Asian Language** | 633 | 0.86% | 606 | 0.74% |
| Other | 863 | 1.17% | 1,059 | 1.29% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 73,817 | 100.00% | 82,286 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 389 | 31.86% |
| Other Indo-European* | 345 | 26.68% |
| Asian Language** | 311 | 51.32% |
| Other Language | 229 | 21.62% |
| Total | 1,274 | 1.55% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 277 | 32.78% |
| Other Indo-European* | 468 | 31.01% |
| Asian Language** | 287 | 45.34% |
| Other Language | 281 | 32.56% |
| Total | 1,313 | 1.78% |
* "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).
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