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 | 19,288 | 96.69% | 22,227 | 95.61% |
| Spanish | 187 | 0.94% | 524 | 2.25% |
| Other Indo-European* | 381 | 1.91% | 366 | 1.57% |
| Asian Language** | 11 | 0.06% | 36 | 0.15% |
| Other | 81 | 0.41% | 94 | 0.40% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 19,948 | 100.00% | 23,247 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 205 | 39.12% |
| Other Indo-European* | 123 | 33.61% |
| Asian Language** | 8 | 22.22% |
| Other Language | 28 | 29.79% |
| Total | 364 | 1.57% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 45 | 24.06% |
| Other Indo-European* | 68 | 17.85% |
| Asian Language** | 5 | 45.45% |
| Other Language | 9 | 11.11% |
| Total | 127 | 0.64% |
* "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