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 | 23,140 | 98.33% | 26,271 | 96.45% |
| Spanish | 237 | 1.01% | 669 | 2.46% |
| Other Indo-European* | 102 | 0.43% | 207 | 0.76% |
| Asian Language** | 50 | 0.21% | 34 | 0.12% |
| Other | 3 | 0.01% | 57 | 0.21% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 23,532 | 100.00% | 27,238 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 358 | 53.51% |
| Other Indo-European* | 71 | 34.30% |
| Asian Language** | 5 | 14.71% |
| Other Language | 31 | 54.39% |
| Total | 465 | 1.71% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 93 | 39.24% |
| Other Indo-European* | 56 | 54.90% |
| Asian Language** | 15 | 30.00% |
| Other Language | 3 | 100.00% |
| Total | 167 | 0.71% |
* "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