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 | 369,751 | 89.02% | 370,259 | 87.01% |
| Spanish | 21,265 | 5.12% | 29,285 | 6.88% |
| Other Indo-European* | 16,612 | 4.00% | 13,543 | 3.18% |
| Asian Language** | 6,964 | 1.68% | 10,439 | 2.45% |
| Other | 758 | 0.18% | 2,003 | 0.47% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 415,350 | 100.00% | 425,529 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 11,193 | 38.22% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3,605 | 26.62% |
| Asian Language** | 5,457 | 52.28% |
| Other Language | 629 | 31.40% |
| Total | 20,884 | 4.91% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 8,541 | 40.16% |
| Other Indo-European* | 4,928 | 29.67% |
| Asian Language** | 3,612 | 51.87% |
| Other Language | 221 | 29.16% |
| Total | 17,302 | 4.17% |
* "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