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 | 10,212 | 67.91% | 10,012 | 57.96% |
| Spanish | 4,311 | 28.67% | 6,883 | 39.84% |
| Other Indo-European* | 367 | 2.44% | 287 | 1.66% |
| Asian Language** | 129 | 0.86% | 80 | 0.46% |
| Other | 18 | 0.12% | 13 | 0.08% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 15,037 | 100.00% | 17,275 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 4,012 | 58.29% |
| Other Indo-European* | 122 | 42.51% |
| Asian Language** | 41 | 51.25% |
| Other Language | 2 | 15.38% |
| Total | 4,177 | 24.18% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,585 | 59.96% |
| Other Indo-European* | 142 | 38.69% |
| Asian Language** | 60 | 46.51% |
| Other Language | 4 | 22.22% |
| Total | 2,791 | 18.56% |
* "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