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 | 31,835 | 97.81% | 35,670 | 96.61% |
| Spanish | 228 | 0.70% | 602 | 1.63% |
| Other Indo-European* | 408 | 1.25% | 455 | 1.23% |
| Asian Language** | 74 | 0.23% | 181 | 0.49% |
| Other | 2 | 0.01% | 15 | 0.04% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 32,547 | 100.00% | 36,923 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 301 | 50.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 117 | 25.71% |
| Asian Language** | 96 | 53.04% |
| Other Language | 2 | 13.33% |
| Total | 516 | 1.40% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 33 | 14.47% |
| Other Indo-European* | 102 | 25.00% |
| Asian Language** | 29 | 39.19% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 164 | 0.50% |
* "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