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 | 74,546 | 91.45% | 73,443 | 91.35% |
| Spanish | 1,100 | 1.35% | 1,849 | 2.30% |
| Other Indo-European* | 5,158 | 6.33% | 4,289 | 5.33% |
| Asian Language** | 560 | 0.69% | 682 | 0.85% |
| Other | 154 | 0.19% | 133 | 0.17% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 81,518 | 100.00% | 80,396 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 648 | 35.05% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,103 | 25.72% |
| Asian Language** | 327 | 47.95% |
| Other Language | 37 | 27.82% |
| Total | 2,115 | 2.63% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 422 | 38.36% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,302 | 25.24% |
| Asian Language** | 160 | 28.57% |
| Other Language | 58 | 37.66% |
| Total | 1,942 | 2.38% |
* "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