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 | 60,104 | 97.00% | 96,466 | 95.28% |
| Spanish | 664 | 1.07% | 1,516 | 1.50% |
| Other Indo-European* | 918 | 1.48% | 1,999 | 1.97% |
| Asian Language** | 228 | 0.37% | 1,008 | 1.00% |
| Other | 49 | 0.08% | 257 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 61,963 | 100.00% | 101,246 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 472 | 31.13% |
| Other Indo-European* | 447 | 22.36% |
| Asian Language** | 386 | 38.29% |
| Other Language | 33 | 12.84% |
| Total | 1,338 | 1.32% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 232 | 34.94% |
| Other Indo-European* | 137 | 14.92% |
| Asian Language** | 87 | 38.16% |
| Other Language | 15 | 30.61% |
| Total | 471 | 0.76% |
* "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