CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Kankakee County |
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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 | 85,245 | 95.78% | 90,472 | 93.58% |
| Spanish | 1,558 | 1.75% | 4,162 | 4.31% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,739 | 1.95% | 1,345 | 1.39% |
| Asian Language** | 372 | 0.42% | 564 | 0.58% |
| Other | 90 | 0.10% | 132 | 0.14% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 89,004 | 100.00% | 96,675 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,123 | 51.01% |
| Other Indo-European* | 323 | 24.01% |
| Asian Language** | 268 | 47.52% |
| Other Language | 11 | 8.33% |
| Total | 2,725 | 2.82% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 481 | 30.87% |
| Other Indo-European* | 425 | 24.44% |
| Asian Language** | 109 | 29.30% |
| Other Language | 37 | 41.11% |
| Total | 1,052 | 1.18% |
* "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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