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 | 61,254 | 97.94% | 95,270 | 96.36% |
| Spanish | 617 | 0.99% | 2,258 | 2.28% |
| Other Indo-European* | 422 | 0.67% | 762 | 0.77% |
| Asian Language** | 200 | 0.32% | 508 | 0.51% |
| Other | 49 | 0.08% | 68 | 0.07% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 62,542 | 100.00% | 98,866 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,181 | 52.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 244 | 32.02% |
| Asian Language** | 227 | 44.69% |
| Other Language | 31 | 45.59% |
| Total | 1,683 | 1.70% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 249 | 40.36% |
| Other Indo-European* | 127 | 30.09% |
| Asian Language** | 75 | 37.50% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 451 | 0.72% |
* "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