CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
New Hanover County |
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LANGUAGE
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 | 108,755 | 96.37% | 142,934 | 94.61% |
| Spanish | 1,550 | 1.37% | 4,200 | 2.78% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,128 | 1.89% | 2,684 | 1.78% |
| Asian Language** | 284 | 0.25% | 901 | 0.60% |
| Other | 133 | 0.12% | 354 | 0.23% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 112,850 | 100.00% | 151,073 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,763 | 41.98% |
| Other Indo-European* | 531 | 19.78% |
| Asian Language** | 417 | 46.28% |
| Other Language | 127 | 35.88% |
| Total | 2,838 | 1.88% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 558 | 36.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 615 | 28.90% |
| Asian Language** | 104 | 36.62% |
| Other Language | 23 | 17.29% |
| Total | 1,300 | 1.15% |
* "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).
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