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 | 142,710 | 95.59% | 148,702 | 93.95% |
| Spanish | 3,732 | 2.50% | 6,568 | 4.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,876 | 1.26% | 1,753 | 1.11% |
| Asian Language** | 777 | 0.52% | 937 | 0.59% |
| Other | 198 | 0.13% | 321 | 0.20% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 149,293 | 100.00% | 158,281 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,781 | 42.34% |
| Other Indo-European* | 515 | 29.38% |
| Asian Language** | 383 | 40.88% |
| Other Language | 62 | 19.31% |
| Total | 3,741 | 2.36% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,270 | 34.03% |
| Other Indo-European* | 395 | 21.06% |
| Asian Language** | 319 | 41.06% |
| Other Language | 33 | 16.67% |
| Total | 2,017 | 1.35% |
* "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