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 | 32,780 | 94.86% | 35,803 | 95.03% |
| Spanish | 563 | 1.63% | 688 | 1.83% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,085 | 3.14% | 1,009 | 2.68% |
| Asian Language** | 89 | 0.26% | 132 | 0.35% |
| Other | 38 | 0.11% | 42 | 0.11% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 34,555 | 100.00% | 37,674 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 230 | 33.43% |
| Other Indo-European* | 254 | 25.17% |
| Asian Language** | 73 | 55.30% |
| Other Language | 12 | 28.57% |
| Total | 569 | 1.51% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 195 | 34.64% |
| Other Indo-European* | 270 | 24.88% |
| Asian Language** | 66 | 74.16% |
| Other Language | 7 | 18.42% |
| Total | 538 | 1.56% |
* "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