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 | 4,402 | 61.05% | 5,974 | 71.16% |
| Spanish | 130 | 1.80% | 44 | 0.52% |
| Other Indo-European* | 47 | 0.65% | 63 | 0.75% |
| Asian Language** | 14 | 0.19% | 46 | 0.55% |
| Other | 2,618 | 36.31% | 2,268 | 27.02% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 7,211 | 100.00% | 8,395 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 16 | 36.36% |
| Other Indo-European* | 15 | 23.81% |
| Asian Language** | 24 | 52.17% |
| Other Language | 459 | 20.24% |
| Total | 514 | 6.12% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 12 | 9.23% |
| Other Indo-European* | 8 | 17.02% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 85.71% |
| Other Language | 649 | 24.79% |
| Total | 681 | 9.44% |
* "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