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 | 154,214 | 91.92% | 233,746 | 86.16% |
| Spanish | 10,250 | 6.11% | 31,077 | 11.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 2,360 | 1.41% | 4,258 | 1.57% |
| Asian Language** | 708 | 0.42% | 1,854 | 0.68% |
| Other | 240 | 0.14% | 363 | 0.13% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 167,772 | 100.00% | 271,298 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 15,344 | 49.37% |
| Other Indo-European* | 781 | 18.34% |
| Asian Language** | 666 | 35.92% |
| Other Language | 67 | 18.46% |
| Total | 16,858 | 6.21% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 4,750 | 46.34% |
| Other Indo-European* | 518 | 21.95% |
| Asian Language** | 363 | 51.27% |
| Other Language | 73 | 30.42% |
| Total | 5,704 | 3.40% |
* "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