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 | ||||
| 1990 | 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Only English | 1,055,926 | 85.52% | 1,199,813 | 79.14% |
| Spanish | 75,621 | 6.12% | 136,929 | 9.03% |
| Other Indo-European* | 38,604 | 3.13% | 74,322 | 4.90% |
| Asian Language** | 60,536 | 4.90% | 98,075 | 6.47% |
| Other | 3,992 | 0.32% | 6,958 | 0.46% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 1,234,679 | 100.00% | 1,516,097 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 60,447 | 44.14% |
| Other Indo-European* | 32,743 | 44.06% |
| Asian Language** | 54,296 | 55.36% |
| Other Language | 2,054 | 29.52% |
| Total | 149,540 | 9.86% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 28,700 | 37.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 12,519 | 32.43% |
| Asian Language** | 37,259 | 61.55% |
| Other Language | 1,328 | 33.27% |
| Total | 79,806 | 6.46% |
* "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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