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 | 27,521 | 96.67% | 32,887 | 97.13% |
| Spanish | 423 | 1.49% | 536 | 1.58% |
| Other Indo-European* | 385 | 1.35% | 261 | 0.77% |
| Asian Language** | 94 | 0.33% | 127 | 0.38% |
| Other | 47 | 0.17% | 47 | 0.14% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 28,470 | 100.00% | 33,858 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 141 | 26.31% |
| Other Indo-European* | 64 | 24.52% |
| Asian Language** | 79 | 62.20% |
| Other Language | 9 | 19.15% |
| Total | 293 | 0.87% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 159 | 37.59% |
| Other Indo-European* | 128 | 33.25% |
| Asian Language** | 61 | 64.89% |
| Other Language | 6 | 12.77% |
| Total | 354 | 1.24% |
* "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