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 | 55,230 | 95.28% | 79,981 | 92.99% |
| Spanish | 1,028 | 1.77% | 2,295 | 2.67% |
| Other Indo-European* | 782 | 1.35% | 2,092 | 2.43% |
| Asian Language** | 829 | 1.43% | 1,415 | 1.65% |
| Other | 98 | 0.17% | 224 | 0.26% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 57,967 | 100.00% | 86,007 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 728 | 31.72% |
| Other Indo-European* | 472 | 22.56% |
| Asian Language** | 797 | 56.33% |
| Other Language | 64 | 28.57% |
| Total | 2,061 | 2.40% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 290 | 28.21% |
| Other Indo-European* | 73 | 9.34% |
| Asian Language** | 501 | 60.43% |
| Other Language | 6 | 6.12% |
| Total | 870 | 1.50% |
* "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