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 | 801,751 | 83.73% | 859,305 | 75.64% |
| Spanish | 63,168 | 6.60% | 113,649 | 10.00% |
| Other Indo-European* | 31,713 | 3.31% | 64,428 | 5.67% |
| Asian Language** | 57,738 | 6.03% | 92,627 | 8.15% |
| Other | 3,221 | 0.34% | 6,041 | 0.53% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 957,591 | 100.00% | 1,136,050 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 49,698 | 43.73% |
| Other Indo-European* | 30,276 | 46.99% |
| Asian Language** | 51,902 | 56.03% |
| Other Language | 1,826 | 30.23% |
| Total | 133,702 | 11.77% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 23,353 | 36.97% |
| Other Indo-European* | 10,732 | 33.84% |
| Asian Language** | 36,025 | 62.39% |
| Other Language | 1,141 | 35.42% |
| Total | 71,251 | 7.44% |
* "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