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 | 16,323 | 98.43% | 15,272 | 98.49% |
| Spanish | 164 | 0.99% | 102 | 0.66% |
| Other Indo-European* | 77 | 0.46% | 102 | 0.66% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 0.07% | 16 | 0.10% |
| Other | 7 | 0.04% | 14 | 0.09% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 16,583 | 100.00% | 15,506 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 29 | 28.43% |
| Other Indo-European* | 20 | 19.61% |
| Asian Language** | 8 | 50.00% |
| Other Language | 10 | 71.43% |
| Total | 67 | 0.43% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 45 | 27.44% |
| Other Indo-European* | 17 | 22.08% |
| Asian Language** | 6 | 50.00% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 68 | 0.41% |
* "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