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 | 27,061 | 98.38% | 33,837 | 97.40% |
| Spanish | 145 | 0.53% | 433 | 1.25% |
| Other Indo-European* | 237 | 0.86% | 239 | 0.69% |
| Asian Language** | 52 | 0.19% | 215 | 0.62% |
| Other | 12 | 0.04% | 17 | 0.05% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 27,507 | 100.00% | 34,741 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 169 | 39.03% |
| Other Indo-European* | 78 | 32.64% |
| Asian Language** | 117 | 54.42% |
| Other Language | 8 | 47.06% |
| Total | 372 | 1.07% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 88 | 60.69% |
| Other Indo-European* | 51 | 21.52% |
| Asian Language** | 29 | 55.77% |
| Other Language | 12 | 100.00% |
| Total | 180 | 0.65% |
* "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