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 | 133,500 | 92.98% | 133,070 | 92.90% |
| Spanish | 1,718 | 1.20% | 2,818 | 1.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,528 | 4.55% | 5,136 | 3.59% |
| Asian Language** | 1,402 | 0.98% | 1,680 | 1.17% |
| Other | 428 | 0.30% | 530 | 0.37% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 143,576 | 100.00% | 143,234 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 883 | 31.33% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,225 | 23.85% |
| Asian Language** | 1,049 | 62.44% |
| Other Language | 226 | 42.64% |
| Total | 3,383 | 2.36% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 589 | 34.28% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,858 | 28.46% |
| Asian Language** | 788 | 56.21% |
| Other Language | 240 | 56.07% |
| Total | 3,475 | 2.42% |
* "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