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 | 57,774 | 97.09% | 60,393 | 96.94% |
| Spanish | 672 | 1.13% | 1,029 | 1.65% |
| Other Indo-European* | 789 | 1.33% | 605 | 0.97% |
| Asian Language** | 156 | 0.26% | 175 | 0.28% |
| Other | 112 | 0.19% | 95 | 0.15% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 59,503 | 100.00% | 62,297 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 371 | 36.05% |
| Other Indo-European* | 163 | 26.94% |
| Asian Language** | 100 | 57.14% |
| Other Language | 37 | 38.95% |
| Total | 671 | 1.08% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 257 | 38.24% |
| Other Indo-European* | 162 | 20.53% |
| Asian Language** | 47 | 30.13% |
| Other Language | 28 | 25.00% |
| Total | 494 | 0.83% |
* "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