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 | 18,383 | 96.72% | 23,911 | 96.02% |
| Spanish | 215 | 1.13% | 253 | 1.02% |
| Other Indo-European* | 272 | 1.43% | 481 | 1.93% |
| Asian Language** | 112 | 0.59% | 195 | 0.78% |
| Other | 25 | 0.13% | 62 | 0.25% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 19,007 | 100.00% | 24,902 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 108 | 42.69% |
| Other Indo-European* | 133 | 27.65% |
| Asian Language** | 103 | 52.82% |
| Other Language | 21 | 33.87% |
| Total | 365 | 1.47% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 72 | 33.49% |
| Other Indo-European* | 33 | 12.13% |
| Asian Language** | 58 | 51.79% |
| Other Language | 3 | 12.00% |
| Total | 166 | 0.87% |
* "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