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 | 66,531 | 96.17% | 79,214 | 95.15% |
| Spanish | 900 | 1.30% | 2,166 | 2.60% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,470 | 2.12% | 1,493 | 1.79% |
| Asian Language** | 235 | 0.34% | 279 | 0.34% |
| Other | 43 | 0.06% | 97 | 0.12% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 69,179 | 100.00% | 83,249 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,037 | 47.88% |
| Other Indo-European* | 504 | 33.76% |
| Asian Language** | 114 | 40.86% |
| Other Language | 15 | 15.46% |
| Total | 1,670 | 2.01% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 340 | 37.78% |
| Other Indo-European* | 513 | 34.90% |
| Asian Language** | 122 | 51.91% |
| Other Language | 14 | 32.56% |
| Total | 989 | 1.43% |
* "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