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 | 121,005 | 96.05% | 122,810 | 95.18% |
| Spanish | 1,849 | 1.47% | 3,331 | 2.58% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,315 | 1.84% | 1,723 | 1.34% |
| Asian Language** | 674 | 0.53% | 978 | 0.76% |
| Other | 139 | 0.11% | 183 | 0.14% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 125,982 | 100.00% | 129,025 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,415 | 42.48% |
| Other Indo-European* | 381 | 22.11% |
| Asian Language** | 537 | 54.91% |
| Other Language | 101 | 55.19% |
| Total | 2,434 | 1.89% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 512 | 27.69% |
| Other Indo-European* | 678 | 29.29% |
| Asian Language** | 398 | 59.05% |
| Other Language | 25 | 17.99% |
| Total | 1,613 | 1.28% |
* "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