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 | 28,641 | 97.87% | 30,848 | 97.71% |
| Spanish | 235 | 0.80% | 291 | 0.92% |
| Other Indo-European* | 339 | 1.16% | 381 | 1.21% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 0.04% | 47 | 0.15% |
| Other | 37 | 0.13% | 4 | 0.01% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 29,264 | 100.00% | 31,571 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 93 | 31.96% |
| Other Indo-European* | 110 | 28.87% |
| Asian Language** | 24 | 51.06% |
| Other Language | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 227 | 0.72% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 92 | 39.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 69 | 20.35% |
| Asian Language** | 10 | 83.33% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 171 | 0.58% |
* "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