Short Definition: % of households that are linguistically isolated

Long Definition:

Percent of households in which no person 14 years old and over speaks only English and no person 14 years old and over who speaks a language other than English speaks English "Very well". In other words, a household in which all members 14 years old and over speak a non-English language and have at least some difficulty with English.

Agency Source: U.S. Census

Time Period(s):

Calendar Year	2000
Multi-Year	2006-10

Geographies: School, RI Tracts, RI Municipalities

Data Type: Numeric

Purpose:

Contextual: Government agencies use information on language spoken at home for their programs that serve the needs of the foreign-born and specifically those who have difficulty with English. Under the Voting Rights Act, language is needed to meet statutory requirements for making voting materials available in minority languages. Specifically, the Census Bureau is directed, using data about language spoken at home and the ability to speak English, to identify minority groups that speak a language other than English and to assess their English-speaking ability. The U.S. Department of Education uses these data to prepare a report to Congress on the social and economic status of children served by different local school districts.

Limitations:

All the members of a linguistically isolated household are tabulated as linguistically isolated, including members under 14 years old who may speak only English.

For more details see Ability to Speak English in the 2000 or 2006-2010 technical documentations.

Universe:

Tags: Language, Census, Demographics, Population, Age, Language Use

Related Reports: No related reports.

Related Datastories:

• Middle School Experiences