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 | 88,142 | 94.73% | 105,654 | 93.85% |
| Spanish | 1,628 | 1.75% | 3,195 | 2.84% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,970 | 2.12% | 1,945 | 1.73% |
| Asian Language** | 1,279 | 1.37% | 1,607 | 1.43% |
| Other | 28 | 0.03% | 177 | 0.16% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 93,047 | 100.00% | 112,578 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,208 | 37.81% |
| Other Indo-European* | 554 | 28.48% |
| Asian Language** | 813 | 50.59% |
| Other Language | 74 | 41.81% |
| Total | 2,649 | 2.35% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 392 | 24.08% |
| Other Indo-European* | 374 | 18.98% |
| Asian Language** | 594 | 46.44% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 1,360 | 1.46% |
* "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