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 | 11,635,518 | 74.56% | 13,230,765 | 68.76% |
| Spanish | 3,443,106 | 22.06% | 5,195,182 | 27.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 279,165 | 1.79% | 358,019 | 1.86% |
| Asian Language** | 207,033 | 1.33% | 374,330 | 1.95% |
| Other | 41,000 | 0.26% | 83,222 | 0.43% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 15,605,822 | 100.00% | 19,241,518 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,369,036 | 45.60% |
| Other Indo-European* | 92,380 | 25.80% |
| Asian Language** | 186,504 | 49.82% |
| Other Language | 21,683 | 26.05% |
| Total | 2,669,603 | 13.87% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,575,652 | 45.76% |
| Other Indo-European* | 71,615 | 25.65% |
| Asian Language** | 107,471 | 51.91% |
| Other Language | 10,985 | 26.79% |
| Total | 1,765,723 | 11.31% |
* "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