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 | 37,273 | 95.24% | 37,854 | 94.76% |
| Spanish | 423 | 1.08% | 692 | 1.73% |
| Other Indo-European* | 977 | 2.50% | 838 | 2.10% |
| Asian Language** | 198 | 0.51% | 373 | 0.93% |
| Other | 266 | 0.68% | 190 | 0.48% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 39,137 | 100.00% | 39,947 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 254 | 36.71% |
| Other Indo-European* | 221 | 26.37% |
| Asian Language** | 182 | 48.79% |
| Other Language | 54 | 28.42% |
| Total | 711 | 1.78% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 162 | 38.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 310 | 31.73% |
| Asian Language** | 98 | 49.49% |
| Other Language | 43 | 16.17% |
| Total | 613 | 1.57% |
* "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