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 | 61,900 | 94.01% | 58,686 | 95.57% |
| Spanish | 559 | 0.85% | 640 | 1.04% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,402 | 2.13% | 925 | 1.51% |
| Asian Language** | 314 | 0.48% | 155 | 0.25% |
| Other | 1,671 | 2.54% | 1,003 | 1.63% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 65,846 | 100.00% | 61,409 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 168 | 26.25% |
| Other Indo-European* | 168 | 18.16% |
| Asian Language** | 93 | 60.00% |
| Other Language | 212 | 21.14% |
| Total | 641 | 1.04% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 116 | 20.75% |
| Other Indo-European* | 317 | 22.61% |
| Asian Language** | 119 | 37.90% |
| Other Language | 388 | 23.22% |
| Total | 940 | 1.43% |
* "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