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 | 56,161 | 61.10% | 76,698 | 63.10% |
| Spanish | 33,134 | 36.05% | 40,137 | 33.02% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,323 | 1.44% | 2,696 | 2.22% |
| Asian Language** | 264 | 0.29% | 634 | 0.52% |
| Other | 1,041 | 1.13% | 1,392 | 1.15% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 91,923 | 100.00% | 121,557 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 12,243 | 30.50% |
| Other Indo-European* | 517 | 19.18% |
| Asian Language** | 274 | 43.22% |
| Other Language | 171 | 12.28% |
| Total | 13,205 | 10.86% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 9,032 | 27.26% |
| Other Indo-European* | 277 | 20.94% |
| Asian Language** | 106 | 40.15% |
| Other Language | 139 | 13.35% |
| Total | 9,554 | 10.39% |
* "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