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 | 5,674 | 50.64% | 6,871 | 52.81% |
| Spanish | 318 | 2.84% | 319 | 2.45% |
| Other Indo-European* | 33 | 0.29% | 54 | 0.42% |
| Asian Language** | 8 | 0.07% | 13 | 0.10% |
| Other | 5,171 | 46.15% | 5,753 | 44.22% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 11,204 | 100.00% | 13,010 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 118 | 36.99% |
| Other Indo-European* | 7 | 12.96% |
| Asian Language** | 0 | 0.00% |
| Other Language | 2,276 | 39.56% |
| Total | 2,401 | 18.46% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 103 | 32.39% |
| Other Indo-European* | 3 | 9.09% |
| Asian Language** | 2 | 25.00% |
| Other Language | 2,652 | 51.29% |
| Total | 2,760 | 24.63% |
* "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