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 | 57,365 | 94.90% | 65,058 | 93.67% |
| Spanish | 1,272 | 2.10% | 2,360 | 3.40% |
| Other Indo-European* | 931 | 1.54% | 926 | 1.33% |
| Asian Language** | 470 | 0.78% | 560 | 0.81% |
| Other | 409 | 0.68% | 548 | 0.79% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 60,447 | 100.00% | 69,452 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 639 | 27.08% |
| Other Indo-European* | 130 | 14.04% |
| Asian Language** | 222 | 39.64% |
| Other Language | 137 | 25.00% |
| Total | 1,128 | 1.62% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 308 | 24.21% |
| Other Indo-European* | 181 | 19.44% |
| Asian Language** | 206 | 43.83% |
| Other Language | 189 | 46.21% |
| Total | 884 | 1.46% |
* "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