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 | 63,739 | 96.87% | 76,738 | 95.88% |
| Spanish | 623 | 0.95% | 1,406 | 1.76% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,256 | 1.91% | 1,513 | 1.89% |
| Asian Language** | 77 | 0.12% | 311 | 0.39% |
| Other | 101 | 0.15% | 67 | 0.08% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 65,796 | 100.00% | 80,035 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 493 | 35.06% |
| Other Indo-European* | 284 | 18.77% |
| Asian Language** | 74 | 23.79% |
| Other Language | 11 | 16.42% |
| Total | 862 | 1.08% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 194 | 31.14% |
| Other Indo-European* | 376 | 29.94% |
| Asian Language** | 46 | 59.74% |
| Other Language | 36 | 35.64% |
| Total | 652 | 0.99% |
* "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