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 | 186,119 | 96.35% | 199,832 | 96.00% |
| Spanish | 2,889 | 1.50% | 3,923 | 1.88% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,526 | 1.31% | 2,427 | 1.17% |
| Asian Language** | 1,352 | 0.70% | 1,598 | 0.77% |
| Other | 285 | 0.15% | 375 | 0.18% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 193,171 | 100.00% | 208,155 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,469 | 37.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 642 | 26.45% |
| Asian Language** | 861 | 53.88% |
| Other Language | 92 | 24.53% |
| Total | 3,064 | 1.47% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,009 | 34.93% |
| Other Indo-European* | 700 | 27.71% |
| Asian Language** | 734 | 54.29% |
| Other Language | 27 | 9.47% |
| Total | 2,470 | 1.28% |
* "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