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 | 543,942 | 92.06% | 565,130 | 93.70% |
| Spanish | 4,296 | 0.73% | 8,263 | 1.37% |
| Other Indo-European* | 37,423 | 6.33% | 24,191 | 4.01% |
| Asian Language** | 1,812 | 0.31% | 1,933 | 0.32% |
| Other | 3,366 | 0.57% | 3,589 | 0.60% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 590,839 | 100.00% | 603,106 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,762 | 33.43% |
| Other Indo-European* | 6,670 | 27.57% |
| Asian Language** | 696 | 36.01% |
| Other Language | 875 | 24.38% |
| Total | 11,003 | 1.82% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,052 | 24.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 8,965 | 23.96% |
| Asian Language** | 820 | 45.25% |
| Other Language | 826 | 24.54% |
| Total | 11,663 | 1.97% |
* "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