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 | 140,848 | 96.34% | 151,625 | 95.56% |
| Spanish | 2,149 | 1.47% | 4,161 | 2.62% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,491 | 1.70% | 2,169 | 1.37% |
| Asian Language** | 428 | 0.29% | 434 | 0.27% |
| Other | 276 | 0.19% | 280 | 0.18% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 146,192 | 100.00% | 158,669 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,771 | 42.56% |
| Other Indo-European* | 606 | 27.94% |
| Asian Language** | 245 | 56.45% |
| Other Language | 100 | 35.71% |
| Total | 2,722 | 1.72% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 708 | 32.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 797 | 32.00% |
| Asian Language** | 223 | 52.10% |
| Other Language | 32 | 11.59% |
| Total | 1,760 | 1.20% |
* "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