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 | 190,379 | 95.22% | 202,148 | 93.33% |
| Spanish | 3,578 | 1.79% | 6,533 | 3.02% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,920 | 1.96% | 4,207 | 1.94% |
| Asian Language** | 1,686 | 0.84% | 2,923 | 1.35% |
| Other | 364 | 0.18% | 789 | 0.36% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 199,927 | 100.00% | 216,600 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,611 | 39.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,158 | 27.53% |
| Asian Language** | 1,767 | 60.45% |
| Other Language | 137 | 17.36% |
| Total | 5,673 | 2.62% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,150 | 32.14% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,078 | 27.50% |
| Asian Language** | 803 | 47.63% |
| Other Language | 44 | 12.09% |
| Total | 3,075 | 1.54% |
* "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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