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 | 10,165 | 89.50% | 11,659 | 93.23% |
| Spanish | 21 | 0.18% | 74 | 0.59% |
| Other Indo-European* | 342 | 3.01% | 234 | 1.87% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | 0.00% | 33 | 0.26% |
| Other | 830 | 7.31% | 506 | 4.05% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 11,358 | 100.00% | 12,506 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 14 | 18.92% |
| Other Indo-European* | 29 | 12.39% |
| Asian Language** | 11 | 33.33% |
| Other Language | 52 | 10.28% |
| Total | 106 | 0.85% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 0 | - |
| Other Indo-European* | 48 | 14.04% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | - |
| Other Language | 72 | 8.67% |
| Total | 120 | 1.06% |
* "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