Most Diverse Cities in the U.S.

America is undergoing an extreme makeover, thanks to rapid demographic diversification. For example, while non-Hispanic whites are expected to remain the largest ethnic group for the foreseeable future, they will likely no longer make up a majority of the population by 2045. As the U.S. diversifies, it must stamp out hatred and promote unity, and there's a lot of work to do. For example, anti-Asian hate crimes spiked by nearly 150% in 2020.

It’s important to embrace diversity – and it’s good for the economy, too. Not only have waves of immigration changed the face of the nation, they’ve also brought in fresh perspectives, skills and technologies to help the U.S. develop a strong adaptability to change. Economies generally fare better when they openly embrace and capitalize on new ideas. Conversely, those relying on old ways and specialized industries tend to be hurt more by changes in the market.

This article is the final installment in WalletHub’s diversity study series. It combines household diversity and religious diversity with our previous reports on socioeconomic diversity, cultural diversity and economic diversity. WalletHub tallied the scores across the five major diversity categories for 501 of the largest cities across 13 metrics.

Main Findings

Most Diverse Cities in America

Detailed Findings

Rankings by City Size

Ask the Experts

Many local economies use their diverse demographics to their advantage, mirroring the country’s economic success as a whole. But diversity also has its drawbacks. For insight into the advantages and disadvantages of diversity as well as advice on how to channel different demographic characteristics toward economic growth, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the pros and cons of living and working in a diverse city?
2. Is there a relationship between diversity and economic growth in cities?
3. What can local policy makers do to harness the diversity in their cities to spur innovation?
4. Which types of diversity are good or bad for cities?
5. There is strong evidence that certain racial and ethnic minority groups have been affected differently by COVID-19. What can local governments do to ensure health equity?

Ask the Experts

Ryan Muldoon
Director of Undergraduate Studies; Associate Professor, Director of Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program, Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences – University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Read More

Christian Matheis
Visiting Assistant Professor, Justice and Policy Studies – Guilford College
Read More

Arthur W. Blaser
Professor, Departments of Peace Studies and Political Science; Co-Director, Disability Studies Minor – Chapman University
Read More

Vanessa Gonlin
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology; Affiliate, Institute for Women's Studies – University of Georgia
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the most diverse cities in America, WalletHub compared 501 of the most populated cities — limiting each state to no more than 10 cities each — across five key dimensions: 1) Socioeconomic Diversity, 2) Cultural Diversity, 3) Economic Diversity, 4) Household Diversity and 5) Religious Diversity.

We conducted our analysis using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index method, which is a commonly accepted measure of market concentration that also works effectively as a general-purpose measure of diversity (e.g., race/ethnicity, occupations, languages, nationalities).

Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area. Each city was categorized according to the following population-size guidelines:

• Large cities: More than 300,000 residents
• Midsize cities: 100,000 to 300,000 residents
• Small cities: Fewer than 100,000 residents

We then evaluated the five dimensions using 13 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights and subcomponents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most diversity.

Lastly, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

1. Socioeconomic Diversity – Total Points: 20
   1. Household-Income Diversity: Double Weight (~13.33 Points)
      • $34,999 or less
      • $35,000–$49,999
      • $50,000–$74,999
      • $75,000–$99,999
      • $100,000–$149,999
      • $150,000 or more
   2. Educational-Attainment Diversity: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)
      • Without a high school diploma
      • High school diploma and perhaps some college or an associate’s degree
      • Bachelor’s degree
      • Graduate or professional degree

 

2. Cultural Diversity – Total Points: 20
   1. Racial & Ethnic Diversity: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
      • Hispanic or Latino
      • White (not Hispanic or Latino)
      • Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino)
      • Asian (not Hispanic or Latino)
      • All others (American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race alone, two or more races and not Hispanic or Latino)
   2. Linguistic Diversity: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
      • English
      • Spanish
      • Other Indo-European languages
      • Asian and Pacific-Islander languages
      • Other languages
   3. Birthplace Diversity: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
      • In State of Residence
      • Northeast Region
      • Midwest Region
      • South Region
      • West Region
      • U.S. Territory & Abroad (if born to American parent(s))
      • Foreign Nation

    

3. Economic Diversity – Total Points: 20
   1. Industry Diversity: Triple Weight (~12.00 Points)
      Note: Considers the civilian employed population aged 16 and older.
      • Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, and Mining
      • Construction
      • Manufacturing
      • Wholesale Trade
      • Retail Trade
      • Transportation and Warehousing, and Utilities
      • Information
      • Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
      • Professional, Scientific, and Management, and Administrative and Waste-Management Services
      • Educational Services, and Health Care and Social Assistance
      • Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services
      • Other Services (excluding Public Administration)
      • Public Administration
   2. Occupational Diversity: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
      Note: Considers the civilian employed population aged 16 and older.
      • Management, Business, Science, and Arts Occupations
      • Service Occupations
      • Sales and Office Occupations
      • Natural-Resources, Construction, and Maintenance Occupations
      • Production, Transportation, and Material Moving Occupations
   3. Worker-Class Diversity: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
      Note: Considers the civilian employed population aged 16 and older.
      • Private Wage and Salary Workers
      • Government Workers
      • Self-Employed Workers (operating their own, unincorporated businesses)
        Note: Includes “people who worked for profit or fees in their own unincorporated business, professional practice, or trade or who operated a farm,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
      • Unpaid Family Workers

    

4. Household Diversity – Total Points: 20
   1. Marital-Status Diversity: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
      • Never Married
      • Married (excluding separated)
      • Divorced
      • Separated
      • Widowed
   2. Age Diversity: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
      • Aged 19 and younger
      • Aged 20-24
      • Aged 25-34
      • Aged 35-44
      • Aged 45-54
      • Aged 55-64
      • Aged 65 and older
   3. Household-Type Diversity: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
      • Family households with married couples
      • Male-headed family households (no spouse present)
      • Female-headed family households (no spouse present)
      • Cohabiting couple households
   4. Household-Size Diversity: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
      • Two-person family households
      • Three-person family households
      • Four-person family households
      • Five-person family households
      • Six-person family households
      • Seven-person or more family households
      • One-person nonfamily households
      • Two-person nonfamily households
      • Three-person nonfamily households
      • Four-person nonfamily households
      • Five-person nonfamily households
      • Six-person nonfamily households
      • Seven-person or more nonfamily households

    

5. Religious Diversity – Total Points: 20
   • Evangelical Protestant
   • Mainline Protestant
   • Black Protestant
   • Catholic
   • Orthodox Christian
   • Jewish
   • Muslim
   • Buddhist
   • Hindu
   • Unaffiliated
   • Other Religions

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and ARDA.

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