2017’s Most & Least Culturally Diverse Cities
4:45 AMPosted by: Richie Bernardo
The U.S. today is a melting pot of cultures, thanks to rapid ethnic and racial diversification of the past four decades. If the trend continues, America will be more colorful than ever by 2044, at which point no single ethnic group will constitute the majority in the U.S. for the first time.
But recent developments in immigration policy suggest the U.S. demographic landscape may change again in the near future. In the meantime, WalletHub’s data team took a snapshot of America’s current cultural profile — comparing 501 of the largest U.S. cities across three key indicators of cultural diversity — to determine the most multifaceted of the bunch. We examined each city based on ethnicity and race, language and birthplace. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.
- Main Findings
- Ratio – Over Time
- Concentrations by Category
- Rankings by City Size
- Ask the Experts
- Methodology
Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/10264/geochart-diversity.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2lo3fTT;
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|
State |
In State |
Northeast Region |
Midwest Region |
South Region |
West Region |
U.S. Territory* |
Foreign Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 70.05% | 2.65% | 5.20% | 15.66% | 2.19% | 0.80% | 3.45% |
| Alaska | 41.77% | 5.07% | 11.28% | 11.70% | 20.05% | 2.09% | 8.04% |
| Arizona | 39.25% | 6.79% | 15.79% | 6.88% | 16.46% | 1.27% | 13.56% |
| Arkansas | 61.70% | 1.61% | 9.65% | 15.69% | 5.80% | 0.68% | 4.87% |
| California | 54.81% | 3.77% | 4.96% | 4.46% | 3.37% | 1.23% | 27.40% |
| Colorado | 42.70% | 6.51% | 16.19% | 10.34% | 12.84% | 1.47% | 9.95% |
| Connecticut | 55.29% | 18.08% | 2.59% | 4.05% | 1.92% | 3.66% | 14.41% |
| Delaware | 45.60% | 24.66% | 3.35% | 13.85% | 1.95% | 1.36% | 9.24% |
| District of Columbia | 35.83% | 13.99% | 7.52% | 21.19% | 5.41% | 1.80% | 14.26% |
| Florida | 35.94% | 16.88% | 10.42% | 10.37% | 2.63% | 3.53% | 20.22% |
| Georgia | 54.89% | 6.87% | 6.51% | 17.20% | 3.17% | 1.36% | 10.00% |
| Hawaii | 53.04% | 3.88% | 4.59% | 6.11% | 11.32% | 3.07% | 17.99% |
| Idaho | 48.03% | 2.89% | 7.60% | 4.67% | 30.27% | 0.87% | 5.69% |
| Illinois | 67.20% | 2.01% | 8.18% | 5.19% | 2.10% | 1.03% | 14.30% |
| Indiana | 68.44% | 2.23% | 12.68% | 8.68% | 2.44% | 0.64% | 4.88% |
| Iowa | 71.08% | 1.32% | 14.84% | 3.74% | 3.72% | 0.52% | 4.78% |
| Kansas | 58.59% | 2.12% | 15.73% | 9.22% | 6.38% | 0.86% | 7.09% |
| Kentucky | 69.56% | 2.54% | 12.71% | 8.77% | 2.22% | 0.64% | 3.56% |
| Louisiana | 78.31% | 1.63% | 2.92% | 10.36% | 2.16% | 0.64% | 3.98% |
| Maine | 64.06% | 21.50% | 3.18% | 3.90% | 2.99% | 1.01% | 3.36% |
| Maryland | 47.25% | 10.89% | 3.98% | 18.65% | 2.59% | 1.37% | 15.27% |
| Massachusetts | 61.63% | 11.49% | 2.56% | 3.38% | 1.99% | 2.77% | 16.17% |
| Michigan | 76.58% | 2.24% | 6.78% | 5.25% | 1.85% | 0.71% | 6.60% |
| Minnesota | 67.70% | 1.81% | 14.92% | 2.96% | 3.56% | 0.67% | 8.39% |
| Mississippi | 71.53% | 1.51% | 4.62% | 17.06% | 2.18% | 0.66% | 2.45% |
| Missouri | 66.14% | 2.13% | 13.75% | 8.54% | 4.64% | 0.70% | 4.10% |
| Montana | 54.27% | 4.15% | 13.60% | 5.33% | 19.77% | 0.80% | 2.08% |
| Nebraska | 64.94% | 1.89% | 14.55% | 4.46% | 6.53% | 0.78% | 6.85% |
| Nevada | 25.75% | 6.59% | 10.49% | 7.13% | 28.87% | 1.67% | 19.50% |
| New Hampshire | 42.12% | 40.75% | 3.34% | 4.16% | 2.52% | 1.09% | 6.01% |
| New Jersey | 52.55% | 16.69% | 1.64% | 3.61% | 1.10% | 2.32% | 22.08% |
| New Mexico | 53.29% | 4.21% | 7.12% | 12.21% | 12.57% | 1.12% | 9.48% |
| New York | 63.08% | 4.55% | 1.90% | 3.51% | 1.50% | 2.36% | 23.09% |
| North Carolina | 57.14% | 10.15% | 5.90% | 14.72% | 3.04% | 1.11% | 7.94% |
| North Dakota | 63.69% | 1.35% | 17.30% | 4.33% | 8.71% | 0.73% | 3.89% |
| Ohio | 75.18% | 4.49% | 4.71% | 8.49% | 1.93% | 0.83% | 4.37% |
| Oklahoma | 60.64% | 2.02% | 9.23% | 13.43% | 7.63% | 0.92% | 6.14% |
| Oregon | 45.89% | 3.82% | 8.22% | 5.32% | 25.72% | 1.09% | 9.94% |
| Pennsylvania | 72.93% | 8.58% | 3.01% | 5.85% | 1.47% | 1.63% | 6.54% |
| Rhode Island | 56.62% | 19.47% | 2.36% | 3.72% | 1.95% | 2.28% | 13.59% |
| South Carolina | 57.70% | 9.65% | 6.03% | 18.30% | 2.50% | 1.07% | 4.75% |
| South Dakota | 64.90% | 1.53% | 19.22% | 3.53% | 6.99% | 0.55% | 3.28% |
| Tennessee | 60.12% | 3.79% | 9.92% | 17.06% | 3.21% | 0.81% | 5.10% |
| Texas | 59.65% | 2.86% | 5.88% | 7.93% | 5.25% | 1.33% | 17.10% |
| Utah | 62.27% | 2.24% | 4.20% | 4.15% | 18.04% | 0.91% | 8.18% |
| Vermont | 49.89% | 31.91% | 4.45% | 4.82% | 3.30% | 1.03% | 4.60% |
| Virginia | 49.54% | 10.73% | 5.78% | 16.03% | 3.93% | 1.77% | 12.22% |
| Washington | 47.35% | 3.68% | 8.13% | 6.23% | 19.10% | 1.72% | 13.79% |
| West Virginia | 69.65% | 5.27% | 7.19% | 13.99% | 1.73% | 0.54% | 1.62% |
| Wisconsin | 71.42% | 1.81% | 15.16% | 3.44% | 2.57% | 0.74% | 4.86% |
| Wyoming | 40.65% | 3.90% | 17.75% | 7.11% | 26.15% | 0.78% | 3.66% |
*Also includes persons born abroad to American parents.
Concentrations by Category|
Metric |
Cities with Highest Concentration |
Cities with Lowest Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| Ethnic and Racial Diversity | ||
| Hispanic or Latino | Hialeah, FL (95.64%) | Greenville, MS (0.58%) |
| White (Not Hispanic or Latino) | Rutland, VT (95.45%) | Hialeah, FL (3.39%) |
| Black or African American (Not Hispanic or Latino) | Gary, IN (81.41%) | Havre, MT (0.03%) |
| Asian (Not Hispanic or Latino) | Waipahu, HI (63.88%) | Mandan, ND (0.08%) |
| All Others (American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, Some Other Race Alone, Two or More Races) (Not Hispanic or Latino) | Hilo, HI (40.53%) | Hialeah, FL (0.13%) |
| Language Diversity | ||
| English-speaking | Parkersburg, WV (98.54%) | Hialeah, FL (7.22%) |
| Spanish-speaking | Hialeah, FL (92.25%) | Havre, MT (0.34%) |
| Other Indo-European Languages-speaking | Brockton, MA (28.68%) | Waipahu, HI (0.15%) |
| Asian and Pacific Islander Languages-speaking | Waipahu, HI (49.18%) | Williston, ND (<0.01%) |
| Other Languages-speaking | Dearborn, MI (40.67%) | Hockessin, DE (<0.01%) |
| U.S. Region Of Birth | ||
| In-State | Greenville, MS (87.16%) | Hilton Head Island, SC (15.77%) |
| Northeast Region | Derry, NH (57.30%) | Cicero, IL (0.29%) |
| Midwest Region | Wahpeton, ND (44.15%) | Paterson, NJ (0.22%) |
| South Region | Olive Branch, MS (55.64%) | Hialeah, FL (0.79%) |
| West Region | Post Falls, ID (48.38%) | Paterson, NJ (0.18%) |
| U.S. Territory & Abroad (if born to American parent(s)) | Springfield, MA (16.38%) | Greenville, MS (0.04%) |
| Foreign Nation | Hialeah, FL (72.75%) | Parkersburg, WV (0.64%) |
|
Rank |
Large City Name (Score) |
Rank |
Midsize City Name (Score) |
Rank |
Small City Name (Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY (90.90) | 1 | Jersey City, NJ (95.88) | 1 | Germantown, MD (94.22) |
| 2 | Oakland, CA (89.68) | 2 | Spring Valley, NV (91.03) | 2 | Gaithersburg, MD (93.40) |
| 3 | San Jose, CA (89.61) | 3 | Kent, WA (87.65) | 3 | Silver Spring, MD (92.59) |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA (87.06) | 4 | Providence, RI (86.85) | 4 | Rockville, MD (87.94) |
| 5 | San Diego, CA (85.69) | 5 | North Las Vegas, NV (86.71) | 5 | Renton, WA (84.09) |
| 6 | Sacramento, CA (85.61) | 6 | Enterprise, NV (86.52) | 6 | Clifton, NJ (83.91) |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA (85.00) | 7 | Bridgeport, CT (86.34) | 7 | Lynn, MA (83.82) |
| 8 | Boston, MA (84.82) | 8 | Paradise, NV (85.22) | 8 | New Britain, CT (82.69) |
| 9 | Long Beach, CA (84.22) | 9 | Orlando, FL (84.30) | 9 | Federal Way, WA (82.34) |
| 10 | Houston, TX (83.17) | 10 | Stamford, CT (84.29) | 10 | Danbury, CT (81.20) |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV (82.47) | 11 | Sunrise Manor, NV (83.57) | 11 | Ewa Gentry, HI (80.87) |
| 12 | Chicago, IL (81.55) | 12 | Lowell, MA (83.23) | 12 | Johns Creek, GA (80.45) |
| 13 | Aurora, CO (81.39) | 13 | New Haven, CT (83.02) | 13 | Pawtucket, RI (80.06) |
| 14 | Anaheim, CA (80.67) | 14 | Hartford, CT (83.01) | 14 | New Rochelle, NY (79.36) |
| 15 | Arlington, TX (80.29) | 15 | Yonkers, NY (82.10) | 15 | Norwalk, CT (77.31) |
| 16 | Dallas, TX (80.07) | 16 | Alexandria, VA (81.94) | 16 | Springdale, AR (77.15) |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ (78.30) | 17 | Newark, NJ (80.11) | 17 | Brockton, MA (77.04) |
| 18 | Fresno, CA (77.62) | 18 | Bellevue, WA (79.70) | 18 | Waukegan, IL (76.56) |
| 19 | Fort Worth, TX (77.47) | 19 | Waterbury, CT (79.32) | 19 | Lancaster, PA (75.78) |
| 20 | Tampa, FL (76.91) | 20 | Aurora, IL (79.10) | 20 | Bear, DE (75.78) |
| 21 | Honolulu, HI (76.34) | 21 | Springfield, MA (78.99) | 21 | Trenton, NJ (74.85) |
| 22 | Austin, TX (75.62) | 22 | Allentown, PA (78.30) | 22 | Kahului, HI (74.34) |
| 23 | Tucson, AZ (75.35) | 23 | Plano, TX (77.85) | 23 | Brooklyn Park, MN (74.23) |
| 24 | Denver, CO (73.73) | 24 | Columbia, MD (76.61) | 24 | Hammond, IN (73.70) |
| 25 | Charlotte, NC (73.69) | 25 | Kansas City, KS (76.46) | 25 | Frederick, MD (73.25) |
| 26 | Bakersfield, CA (73.44) | 26 | Fort Lauderdale, FL (76.41) | 26 | Hobbs, NM (72.14) |
| 27 | Albuquerque, NM (71.66) | 27 | Elgin, IL (76.13) | 27 | Santa Fe, NM (72.08) |
| 28 | Washington, DC (69.24) | 28 | West Valley City, UT (75.88) | 28 | Camden, NJ (71.68) |
| 29 | Philadelphia, PA (69.11) | 29 | Glendale, AZ (75.36) | 29 | Reading, PA (71.38) |
| 30 | Milwaukee, WI (67.92) | 30 | Worcester, MA (74.99) | 30 | Ellicott City, MD (71.32) |
| 31 | Oklahoma City, OK (67.05) | 31 | Cambridge, MA (74.73) | 31 | Hillsboro, OR (71.26) |
| 32 | Raleigh, NC (66.83) | 32 | Paterson, NJ (74.14) | 32 | Central Falls, RI (70.92) |
| 33 | San Antonio, TX (66.36) | 33 | Arlington, VA (73.94) | 33 | Farmington, NM (70.18) |
| 34 | Minneapolis, MN (66.17) | 34 | St. Paul, MN (73.76) | 34 | Clovis, NM (69.98) |
| 35 | Seattle, WA (65.97) | 35 | Sandy Springs, GA (73.04) | 35 | Sparks, NV (69.65) |
| 36 | Tulsa, OK (64.32) | 36 | Durham, NC (72.39) | 36 | Kenner, LA (69.46) |
| 37 | Nashville, TN (63.76) | 37 | Port St. Lucie, FL (71.55) | 37 | Beaverton, OR (69.19) |
| 38 | Mesa, AZ (62.96) | 38 | Tempe, AZ (71.50) | 38 | Fairbanks, AK (69.11) |
| 39 | Jacksonville, FL (62.89) | 39 | Chandler, AZ (70.99) | 39 | Alamogordo, NM (68.93) |
| 40 | Corpus Christi, TX (61.59) | 40 | Las Cruces, NM (70.70) | 40 | Harrisburg, PA (68.85) |
| 41 | Virginia Beach, VA (59.15) | 41 | Elizabeth, NJ (70.63) | 41 | Yakima, WA (68.29) |
| 42 | Miami, FL (59.11) | 42 | Reno, NV (69.04) | 42 | Roswell, GA (67.48) |
| 43 | Kansas City, MO (58.83) | 43 | Rochester, NY (67.48) | 43 | Quincy, MA (67.31) |
| 44 | Portland, OR (58.47) | 44 | High Point, NC (67.20) | 44 | East Honolulu, HI (67.28) |
| 45 | Wichita, KS (57.69) | 45 | Fayetteville, NC (67.04) | 45 | Roswell, NM (66.95) |
| 46 | Atlanta, GA (57.17) | 46 | Anchorage, AK (66.95) | 46 | Kailua, HI (66.78) |
| 47 | Columbus, OH (56.82) | 47 | Tacoma, WA (66.78) | 47 | Waipahu, HI (66.73) |
| 48 | Colorado Springs, CO (56.02) | 48 | Cary, NC (66.70) | 48 | New Bedford, MA (66.30) |
| 49 | Indianapolis, IN (55.09) | 49 | Joliet, IL (66.42) | 49 | Lawton, OK (65.44) |
| 50 | Cleveland, OH (54.91) | 50 | Everett, WA (65.58) | 50 | Rio Rancho, NM (65.18) |
| 51 | Omaha, NE (54.23) | 51 | Winston-Salem, NC (65.52) | 51 | Mililani Town, HI (65.10) |
| 52 | St. Louis, MO (52.31) | 52 | Salt Lake City, UT (65.36) | 52 | Pearl City, HI (65.06) |
| 53 | El Paso, TX (50.78) | 53 | Gresham, OR (64.03) | 53 | Dover, DE (64.14) |
| 54 | Memphis, TN (48.95) | 54 | Syracuse, NY (63.99) | 54 | Rogers, AR (64.05) |
| 55 | New Orleans, LA (48.15) | 55 | Thornton, CO (63.31) | 55 | Jackson, WY (63.63) |
| 56 | Baltimore, MD (47.89) | 56 | Newport News, VA (62.21) | 56 | Bethlehem, PA (63.57) |
| 57 | Pittsburgh, PA (47.47) | 57 | Rockford, IL (62.00) | 57 | Brookside, DE (63.46) |
| 58 | Lexington-Fayette, KY (46.81) | 58 | Greensboro, NC (61.77) | 58 | Fort Smith, AR (63.46) |
| 59 | Louisville, KY (43.50) | 59 | Henderson, NV (61.56) | 59 | Caldwell, ID (62.33) |
| 60 | Detroit, MI (32.81) | 60 | Norfolk, VA (61.42) | 60 | Mount Vernon, NY (61.77) |
| 61 | Clarksville, TN (60.97) | 61 | Passaic, NJ (61.29) | ||
| 62 | Ann Arbor, MI (60.94) | 62 | Kaneohe, HI (61.13) | ||
| 63 | Buffalo, NY (60.62) | 63 | Hilo, HI (60.10) | ||
| 64 | Naperville, IL (60.61) | 64 | Albany, NY (59.32) | ||
| 65 | Athens, GA (60.24) | 65 | Wilmington, DE (59.28) | ||
| 66 | Tallahassee, FL (60.22) | 66 | Biloxi, MS (58.89) | ||
| 67 | South Bend, IN (60.03) | 67 | Waldorf, MD (58.68) | ||
| 68 | North Charleston, SC (59.86) | 68 | Lorain, OH (58.54) | ||
| 69 | Columbus, GA (58.87) | 69 | Carson City, NV (58.53) | ||
| 70 | Salem, OR (58.32) | 70 | Ogden, UT (58.50) | ||
| 71 | St. Petersburg, FL (57.52) | 71 | Schenectady, NY (58.21) | ||
| 72 | Westminster, CO (56.80) | 72 | Racine, WI (58.05) | ||
| 73 | Pueblo, CO (55.95) | 73 | Sitka and, AK (56.98) | ||
| 74 | Lansing, MI (55.83) | 74 | Woonsocket, RI (56.74) | ||
| 75 | Grand Rapids, MI (55.81) | 75 | Taylorsville, UT (56.65) | ||
| 76 | Vancouver, WA (55.73) | 76 | West Hartford, CT (56.35) | ||
| 77 | Hampton, VA (55.62) | 77 | Middletown, DE (56.26) | ||
| 78 | Richmond, VA (55.62) | 78 | Grand Island, NE (56.04) | ||
| 79 | Gilbert, AZ (55.51) | 79 | Glen Burnie, MD (55.91) | ||
| 80 | Columbia, SC (55.39) | 80 | Glasgow, DE (55.34) | ||
| 81 | Peoria, AZ (54.97) | 81 | Juneau, AK (54.80) | ||
| 82 | Little Rock, AR (54.54) | 82 | Horn Lake, MS (53.82) | ||
| 83 | Cape Coral, FL (54.40) | 83 | Rock Hill, SC (53.67) | ||
| 84 | Surprise, AZ (53.86) | 84 | Goose Creek, SC (53.62) | ||
| 85 | Des Moines, IA (53.11) | 85 | Bentonville, AR (53.33) | ||
| 86 | Savannah, GA (53.04) | 86 | Nashua, NH (53.08) | ||
| 87 | Huntsville, AL (52.76) | 87 | Bowling Green, KY (52.92) | ||
| 88 | Chesapeake, VA (52.61) | 88 | Decatur, AL (52.54) | ||
| 89 | Provo, UT (52.61) | 89 | Youngstown, OH (52.42) | ||
| 90 | Peoria, IL (52.59) | 90 | Hilton Head Island, SC (51.90) | ||
| 91 | Lakewood, CO (52.00) | 91 | Cranston, RI (51.73) | ||
| 92 | Chattanooga, TN (50.55) | 92 | Kenosha, WI (51.63) | ||
| 93 | Metairie, LA (50.37) | 93 | College, AK (51.52) | ||
| 94 | Augusta, GA (49.64) | 94 | Bossier City, LA (51.17) | ||
| 95 | Madison, WI (49.60) | 95 | Greenville, SC (50.89) | ||
| 96 | Olathe, KS (48.53) | 96 | Huron, SD (50.83) | ||
| 97 | Sterling Heights, MI (48.21) | 97 | Pike Creek Valley, DE (50.70) | ||
| 98 | Cincinnati, OH (48.13) | 98 | Greenville, NC (50.61) | ||
| 99 | Dayton, OH (48.09) | 99 | Fall River, MA (50.59) | ||
| 100 | Lafayette, LA (48.00) | 100 | Sumter, SC (50.56) | ||
| 101 | Fort Wayne, IN (47.40) | 101 | Bellevue, NE (50.55) | ||
| 102 | Green Bay, WI (47.01) | 102 | South Valley, NM (50.49) | ||
| 103 | Murfreesboro, TN (47.00) | 103 | Auburn, AL (50.41) | ||
| 104 | Topeka, KS (46.80) | 104 | Roanoke, VA (50.31) | ||
| 105 | Rochester, MN (46.74) | 105 | Nampa, ID (50.27) | ||
| 106 | Manchester, NH (46.71) | 106 | Madison, AL (50.16) | ||
| 107 | West Jordan, UT (46.42) | 107 | Gulfport, MS (50.11) | ||
| 108 | Baton Rouge, LA (46.17) | 108 | Sioux City, IA (49.77) | ||
| 109 | Wilmington, NC (45.88) | 109 | Midwest City, OK (49.14) | ||
| 110 | Overland Park, KS (45.84) | 110 | Corvallis, OR (48.80) | ||
| 111 | Broken Arrow, OK (45.44) | 111 | Iowa City, IA (48.73) | ||
| 112 | Norman, OK (45.23) | 112 | Tuscaloosa, AL (48.64) | ||
| 113 | Scottsdale, AZ (44.95) | 113 | Hoover, AL (48.52) | ||
| 114 | Montgomery, AL (44.11) | 114 | Smyrna, DE (48.06) | ||
| 115 | Toledo, OH (43.67) | 115 | Newark, DE (47.99) | ||
| 116 | Mobile, AL (43.50) | 116 | North Little Rock, AR (47.70) | ||
| 117 | Warren, MI (43.24) | 117 | Portsmouth, VA (47.43) | ||
| 118 | Eugene, OR (42.93) | 118 | Lake Charles, LA (47.41) | ||
| 119 | Akron, OH (42.86) | 119 | East Providence, RI (47.38) | ||
| 120 | Charleston, SC (42.42) | 120 | Jackson, TN (47.17) | ||
| 121 | Macon, GA (42.37) | 121 | Bloomington, MN (47.03) | ||
| 122 | Erie, PA (41.94) | 122 | Newport, RI (47.01) | ||
| 123 | Centennial, CO (41.55) | 123 | Orem, UT (46.97) | ||
| 124 | Columbia, MO (41.54) | 124 | Dearborn, MI (46.47) | ||
| 125 | Knoxville, TN (40.96) | 125 | Olive Branch, MS (46.40) | ||
| 126 | Fort Collins, CO (40.87) | 126 | Stillwater, OK (46.22) | ||
| 127 | Shreveport, LA (40.44) | 127 | Bloomington, IN (46.07) | ||
| 128 | Davenport, IA (37.96) | 128 | Enid, OK (46.00) | ||
| 129 | Boise, ID (36.88) | 129 | Martinsburg, WV (45.61) | ||
| 130 | Arvada, CO (36.64) | 130 | Tanaina, AK (45.46) | ||
| 131 | Lincoln, NE (35.86) | 131 | Hattiesburg, MS (45.17) | ||
| 132 | Spokane, WA (35.41) | 132 | Lawrence, KS (44.68) | ||
| 133 | Springfield, IL (35.03) | 133 | Southaven, MS (44.65) | ||
| 134 | Sioux Falls, SD (33.96) | 134 | Woodbury, MN (44.50) | ||
| 135 | Independence, MO (33.73) | 135 | Tupelo, MS (44.36) | ||
| 136 | Birmingham, AL (32.03) | 136 | Hopkinsville, KY (44.17) | ||
| 137 | Fargo, ND (29.88) | 137 | Wasilla, AK (44.17) | ||
| 138 | Springfield, MO (27.57) | 138 | Rock Springs, WY (44.02) | ||
| 139 | Evansville, IN (26.94) | 139 | Hockessin, DE (43.50) | ||
| 140 | Billings, MT (25.67) | 140 | Franklin, TN (43.49) | ||
| 141 | Cedar Rapids, IA (23.95) | 141 | Summerville, SC (43.30) | ||
| 142 | Jackson, MS (22.07) | 142 | Scranton, PA (43.07) | ||
| 143 | Laredo, TX (15.44) | 143 | Twin Falls, ID (42.93) | ||
| 144 | Hialeah, FL (11.25) | 144 | Dothan, AL (42.75) | ||
| 145 | Manhattan, KS (42.65) | ||||
| 146 | Fayetteville, AR (42.46) | ||||
| 147 | Medford, OR (42.27) | ||||
| 148 | Carmel, IN (42.25) | ||||
| 149 | Lafayette, IN (42.15) | ||||
| 150 | Plymouth, MN (42.13) | ||||
| 151 | Bartlett, TN (41.78) | ||||
| 152 | Moore, OK (41.78) | ||||
| 153 | Lebanon, NH (41.71) | ||||
| 154 | Elizabethtown, KY (41.41) | ||||
| 155 | Columbus, NE (41.33) | ||||
| 156 | Cheyenne, WY (41.16) | ||||
| 157 | Lenexa, KS (41.16) | ||||
| 158 | Alexandria, LA (40.69) | ||||
| 159 | Portland, ME (40.21) | ||||
| 160 | Jonesboro, AR (40.21) | ||||
| 161 | Flint, MI (39.83) | ||||
| 162 | Layton, UT (39.78) | ||||
| 163 | Waterloo, IA (39.63) | ||||
| 164 | Burlington, VT (39.59) | ||||
| 165 | Riverton, WY (39.35) | ||||
| 166 | Springfield, OR (39.34) | ||||
| 167 | Laramie, WY (39.26) | ||||
| 168 | Waukesha, WI (39.20) | ||||
| 169 | St. George, UT (39.16) | ||||
| 170 | Winooski, VT (39.14) | ||||
| 171 | Beckley, WV (39.11) | ||||
| 172 | Badger, AK (39.06) | ||||
| 173 | Ames, IA (38.96) | ||||
| 174 | Edmond, OK (38.91) | ||||
| 175 | Bristol, CT (38.79) | ||||
| 176 | West Des Moines, IA (38.75) | ||||
| 177 | Lakes, AK (38.61) | ||||
| 178 | Green River, WY (38.50) | ||||
| 179 | Westland, MI (38.11) | ||||
| 180 | Conway, AR (37.56) | ||||
| 181 | Evanston, WY (37.35) | ||||
| 182 | Meridian, MS (37.19) | ||||
| 183 | Union City, NJ (36.99) | ||||
| 184 | Knik-Fairview, AK (36.24) | ||||
| 185 | Valley Falls, RI (36.18) | ||||
| 186 | Salina, KS (35.96) | ||||
| 187 | Shawnee, KS (35.82) | ||||
| 188 | Fishers, IN (35.72) | ||||
| 189 | Idaho Falls, ID (35.57) | ||||
| 190 | Rapid City, SD (35.54) | ||||
| 191 | Middlebury, VT (35.47) | ||||
| 192 | Canton, OH (35.08) | ||||
| 193 | Norfolk, NE (34.48) | ||||
| 194 | South Burlington, VT (34.09) | ||||
| 195 | Maple Grove, MN (33.81) | ||||
| 196 | Morgantown, WV (33.42) | ||||
| 197 | Florence, KY (33.17) | ||||
| 198 | Toms River, NJ (33.02) | ||||
| 199 | Lee's Summit, MO (32.84) | ||||
| 200 | Portsmouth, NH (32.76) | ||||
| 201 | Lewiston, ME (32.73) | ||||
| 202 | Sandy, UT (32.71) | ||||
| 203 | St. Cloud, MN (32.53) | ||||
| 204 | Gillette, WY (32.51) | ||||
| 205 | Monroe, LA (32.10) | ||||
| 206 | Cicero, IL (31.81) | ||||
| 207 | St. Charles, MO (31.74) | ||||
| 208 | Albany, GA (31.73) | ||||
| 209 | Meridian, ID (31.69) | ||||
| 210 | Appleton, WI (31.51) | ||||
| 211 | Fremont, NE (30.77) | ||||
| 212 | Covington, KY (30.52) | ||||
| 213 | Bend, OR (30.23) | ||||
| 214 | Gary, IN (30.22) | ||||
| 215 | Pocatello, ID (29.93) | ||||
| 216 | Casper, WY (29.54) | ||||
| 217 | Council Bluffs, IA (29.20) | ||||
| 218 | Johnson City, TN (29.17) | ||||
| 219 | Essex Junction, VT (28.83) | ||||
| 220 | Grand Forks, ND (28.54) | ||||
| 221 | Mount Pleasant, SC (28.36) | ||||
| 222 | Dover, NH (28.01) | ||||
| 223 | St. Joseph, MO (27.90) | ||||
| 224 | Minot, ND (27.24) | ||||
| 225 | Charleston, WV (27.01) | ||||
| 226 | Pine Bluff, AR (26.72) | ||||
| 227 | Hastings, NE (26.59) | ||||
| 228 | Pierre, SD (26.54) | ||||
| 229 | Yankton, SD (26.15) | ||||
| 230 | Great Falls, MT (25.94) | ||||
| 231 | Westerly, RI (25.89) | ||||
| 232 | Parma, OH (25.88) | ||||
| 233 | Bozeman, MT (25.58) | ||||
| 234 | Missoula, MT (25.28) | ||||
| 235 | Sheridan, WY (25.26) | ||||
| 236 | Biddeford, ME (25.02) | ||||
| 237 | Brattleboro, VT (24.89) | ||||
| 238 | Concord, NH (24.74) | ||||
| 239 | Dickinson, ND (24.59) | ||||
| 240 | Westbrook, ME (24.51) | ||||
| 241 | Williston, ND (24.45) | ||||
| 242 | Georgetown, KY (24.33) | ||||
| 243 | Brookings, SD (23.73) | ||||
| 244 | Richmond, KY (23.52) | ||||
| 245 | Warwick, RI (23.08) | ||||
| 246 | Cheektowaga, NY (23.04) | ||||
| 247 | South Portland, ME (22.89) | ||||
| 248 | Kearney, NE (22.69) | ||||
| 249 | O'Fallon, MO (22.66) | ||||
| 250 | Saco, ME (22.50) | ||||
| 251 | Huntington, WV (22.25) | ||||
| 252 | Wahpeton, ND (22.02) | ||||
| 253 | Aberdeen, SD (21.74) | ||||
| 254 | Auburn, ME (20.98) | ||||
| 255 | St. Peters, MO (20.70) | ||||
| 256 | Owensboro, KY (20.69) | ||||
| 257 | Coeur d'Alene, ID (20.66) | ||||
| 258 | Levittown, PA (20.53) | ||||
| 259 | West Fargo, ND (20.39) | ||||
| 260 | Janesville, WI (20.16) | ||||
| 261 | Post Falls, ID (19.99) | ||||
| 262 | North Platte, NE (19.91) | ||||
| 263 | Greenville, MS (19.90) | ||||
| 264 | Havre, MT (19.84) | ||||
| 265 | Eau Claire, WI (19.64) | ||||
| 266 | Spearfish, SD (19.55) | ||||
| 267 | Bangor, ME (19.08) | ||||
| 268 | Helena, MT (19.02) | ||||
| 269 | Montpelier, VT (18.65) | ||||
| 270 | Keene, NH (18.46) | ||||
| 271 | Dubuque, IA (18.30) | ||||
| 272 | Augusta, ME (18.25) | ||||
| 273 | Sanford, ME (18.24) | ||||
| 274 | Anaconda, MT (17.90) | ||||
| 275 | Livonia, MI (17.78) | ||||
| 276 | Weirton, WV (17.31) | ||||
| 277 | Duluth, MN (17.30) | ||||
| 278 | Bismarck, ND (16.69) | ||||
| 279 | Lewiston, ID (16.64) | ||||
| 280 | Derry, NH (16.55) | ||||
| 281 | Oshkosh, WI (16.24) | ||||
| 282 | Kalispell, MT (16.07) | ||||
| 283 | Wheeling, WV (16.01) | ||||
| 284 | Rochester, NH (15.31) | ||||
| 285 | Fairmont, WV (15.17) | ||||
| 286 | Butte-Silver Bow, MT (15.04) | ||||
| 287 | Mitchell, SD (14.88) | ||||
| 288 | Mandan, ND (14.84) | ||||
| 289 | Miles City, MT (14.80) | ||||
| 290 | Laconia, NH (14.36) | ||||
| 291 | Bennington, VT (14.24) | ||||
| 292 | Barre, VT (13.93) | ||||
| 293 | Jamestown, ND (13.78) | ||||
| 294 | Rutland, VT (11.62) | ||||
| 295 | Watertown, SD (11.07) | ||||
| 296 | Clarksburg, WV (9.86) | ||||
| 297 | Parkersburg, WV (7.40) |
Cultural diversity has both positive and negative implications. For more insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:
- What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city?
- What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city?
- What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly?
- What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace?
- What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity?
Jack Fong Associate Professor of Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Rory Kramer Visiting Scholar in the Africana Studies Department at University of Pennsylvania and Assistant Professor of Sociology at Villanova University
Douglas Hartmann Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota
Zaire Dinzey-Flores Associate Professor of Sociology and Latino & Hispanic Caribbean Studies, Rutgers University
Derek R. Avery Professor of Human Resource Management, Seymour Wolfbein Senior Research Fellow, Associate Editor, Journal of Business & Psychology, Fox School of Business, Temple University
Patrick F. McKay Professor of Human Resource Management, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Nancy DiTomaso Professor of Management and Global Business, Rutgers Business School—Newark and New Brunswick
Beth Chung Professor of Management and Director of the Institute for Inclusiveness and Diversity in Organizations, San Diego State University
Margaret M. Chin Associate Professor of Sociology, Hunter College
Mario Luis Small Grafstein Family Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
Gregory Sharp Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Sociology, Rice University
Angie Y. Chung Associate Professor of Sociology, University at Albany
Susan A. Ostrander Professor of Sociology Emerita, Tufts University
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? The key benefit of living in an ethnically diverse city is that one can be reminded that we live in a world of shared humanity in spite of our differences. Indeed, urban existence is essentially "coexistence" with others that embrace the dynamics and stimuli of urban environments. Also less discussed is that most cities in the developing world are already orienting themselves to the global economy. If money within this context flows across borders, then it is to be expected that immigrants will as well. When this dynamic occurs, they occur most frequently in cities simply because all forms of commodities and social services are there in ways they are not in remote and rural environments. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? The potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city tends to befall upon those who, whilst living in urban environments, have yet to develop the tolerance needed to welcome a variety of different groups. Sociological studies have frequently shown that there are large contingents of people who are averse to unfamiliarity. Ethnic/racial diversity may serve to "activate" this sentiment in rather negative ways - especially if certain populations exhibit patterns that contradict or counter the ethos of the host society. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? This question is dependent on what kind of residents are queried. If residents are already minorities in a city with a diverse ethnic composition then the threat to other long-term residents will likely be minimal--this of course being contingent on the specific urban environment. For those who see cities change in ways that move from homogeneity to heterogeneity, this type of change will upset residents, especially if a "new" group seizes the upper echelons of economic production, creating ethnic enclave markets that exclude the original or long term residents. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? The key way to promote cultural diversity is to celebrate and/or establish visual markers of their presence. In southern California, these manifest as ethnic enclaves (Chinatown, Olvera Street, Little Saigon, Thai Town, Little Ethiopia, etc.). Keep in mind one explicit marker of ethnic diversity of urban environments is to be able to "see" the diversity in their contexts. Thus, the themes and motifs inherent in international architecture (say, for example, the pagoda-like spires in some Chinatowns) have to be constructed so as to give residents a comfortable simulation that hints at what is beyond their urban boundaries. State and local governments should also continue to groom diversity sensibilities through school field trips to different regions of the environment so that they see that as much as we are different from one another, there is a comfortable space for everyone to appreciate the shared humanity that is possible through cultural exchanges. Our young ones should thus be exposed to diversity early lest they get exposed to it in later life in ways that may lead them to erroneously think that the celebrating of diversity is "propaganda" and/or "ideology." Indeed, there are many people that adore diversity. An important scholar by the name of Todd L. Pittinsky has even provided a term for this tendency: allophilia. Rory Kramer Visiting Scholar in the Africana Studies Department at University of Pennsylvania and Assistant Professor of Sociology at Villanova University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? Ethnic diversity means a diversity of experiences, traditions, and ways of thinking. It makes a city vibrant and exciting for all of its citizens instead of just a select few. Ethnic diversity can bring hidden problems to light, but it also provides new opportunities and reinvigorates public spaces and traditions that might otherwise wither with age and to resolve those problems in a more universally beneficial way. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? There is some empirical evidence that racial/ethnic diversity is associated with lower social trust amongst neighbors. Probably relatedly, cultural traditions and styles can create friction or tension. The old traditions of the prior residents that may seem insensitive or unwelcoming to new residents and the new traditions of the new residents may seem invasive or threatening to the old residents. Finding a way to respect traditions and encourage change is difficult. Similarly, new populations often need and expect different types of services from a city or community that the city did not foresee, like translation services. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? It depends on why that composition is changing. When more advantaged ethnic groups are fleeing a city, that’s a sign of economic divestment (think of the intense and deleterious effect of white flight to the suburbs in the 60s and 70s on cities). On the other hand, and far more common today, ethnic compositions are changing as immigrants are moving to new destination cities and whites are returning to the urban space. Those are signs of a city with an improving economic base and a reinvigoration of that city’s cultural and social life. In other words, while there may be some tension at first, as new residents and old residents figure out how to become neighbors and partners in a city’s community, increased ethnic diversity because of in-migration is a sign of a healthy, vibrant city. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Expect to screw up! Expand your recruitment efforts in ways you wouldn’t expect to do so, empower new employees to challenge long-held assumptions about how the workplace should operate. Question whether or not the traditional credentials and markers of prestige are good for identifying a diverse group of candidates (the best workers don’t always have Ivy League degrees, or college degrees at all). Work as hard as possible to not be defensive when challenged and remember that research has shown that diversity is related to success in business. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? One of the biggest hurdles is not in becoming diverse; it’s in creating cross-cultural interaction. State and local governments should prioritize cross-cultural interactions in their efforts. But, and this is the hard part, do so in ways that don’t make the burden of that interaction fall on the new members of the community. Make diversity a part of every piece of business and every opportunity, to the point where looking for cultural diversity becomes the norm, not the exception. Douglas Hartmann Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? Most of my research on this topic is based upon interviews and surveys of regular, ordinary citizens, and in general Americans tend to be very excited and have optimistic views about diversity in general and ethnic or racial diversity more specifically. I think this is especially true for folks who make a deliberate choice to live in cities rather than suburbs, or move to one neighborhood rather than another. Some of what Americans see as the benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city, community, or neighborhood are primarily cultural — things like having a wide variety of food and restaurant options, or being around a vibrant arts and music scene. Others just like the energy that comes with being around folks of a range of different backgrounds. More reflective and/or pragmatic respondents will also talk about how this diversity helps position and prepare Americans and American companies to be competitive in an increasingly global marketplace. And a few, especially, though not exclusively those who are not white, will allude to breaking down traditional racial biases, prejudices, and stereotypes in society as a whole. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? For all of the optimism and perceived benefits, however, it is still clear that living in an ethnically diverse context—whether it is a city or community or some other unit of social organization—comes with many challenges. These challenges range from the difficulty of communication, understanding, and trust across differences of language, tradition, custom, and belief, but also include the difficulty of confronting various forms of prejudice and discrimination that too often accompany racial and ethnic diversity in the United States. The challenges that come with diversity can be quite different depending upon one’s own background and history and experience. People of color, in general, have a somewhat different set of concerns, than white folks. As much as Americans across racial lines may desire and value diversity in the abstract, living with actual social differences and under conditions of inequality can be a bigger daily challenge than we sometimes want to own up to. Indeed, when we do interviews with people about their initial, mostly upbeat visions of and experiences with diversity in cities and in general, it turns out Americans of all races and ethnic backgrounds often end up talking more about all of the challenges and problems that come with diversity than about the benefits. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? Change is always difficult, but ethnic and racial change can be particularly hard to deal with, especially when it happens very quickly. Immigrants who speak different languages and have different customs can be quite unsettling for residents who are fairly comfortable and set in their ways. And these changes have implications in many different domains—from housing to schools, from social services to workforce composition and small business ownership to religious and civic organizations. One of the challenges for new residents or migrants is that existing organizations and services, both public and private, may not positioned or prepared to meet their needs or help with the challenges they face. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Others have researched and written about this far more specifically and extensively than me, but there are a few things I think it is important to emphasize. One is that businesses need to be clear about how they understand and define “diversity” and what principles, priorities or goals are motivating their attention to diversity before they jump in to specific diversity programs or initiatives. Is it just about race and ethnicity, or are other social categories—such as gender, sexuality, or ability—to be included? And what are the goals or driving forces behind any particular push to achieve diversity? A whole range of reasons, motivations, and justifications could apply: increased productivity and competitiveness, especially for new markets or consumer niches; recruiting a stable, effective workforce; overcoming cultural miscommunications and misconceptions; opening up opportunities to workers historically marginalized or disadvantaged in a company or particular industry or occupation; or simply complying with legal requirements or government policies. These are all different motivations and goals, that may or may not be incompatible with each other, but each may require different programs and approaches to achieve. The other thing I’d say here is that however diversity is defined and whatever principles or priorities a business or company may have, the making of a more diverse workplace is not an objective that will be accomplished by one program, a couple of staff folks, or a few key hires. It is a difficult and ongoing project that requires a broad shift in culture and thinking across the organization as a whole. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? Extending from some of the answers above, I’d say that management needs to realize that the challenges of ethnic and racial diversity include the negotiation of genuine cultural differences as well as the confrontation of subtle and often deep racial biases and unintentionally discriminatory institutional practices. We often put a lot of emphasis on the former, but minimize the latter. This is important, I think, because the achievement of meaningful, manageable diversity is as much about addressing and changing the attitudes, perceptions, behaviors, and environment of the traditional organization and its established, probably mostly white workforce as it is about any new folks that may come in. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? I think diversity training programs are important, obviously. But sometimes these programs focus more on communication and cultural differences than on understanding and confronting the deeper institutional and systematic conditions in society—poor schooling, residential segregation, poverty, unacceptable racial differences in arrest and conviction experienced people of color in our cities and communities—that are at the root of recruitment challenges in the first place, and the misunderstanding and miscommunications that go along with race more generally. Even working in concert with state and local governments, businesses and corporations can’t solve all of those problems. But not understanding the deep, structural and institutional roots of racial problems and inequalities in American society can lead us to underestimate how difficult it is to really “promote diversity” in any social context and thus expect too much from any given initiative or program. Zaire Dinzey-Flores Associate Professor of Sociology and Latino & Hispanic Caribbean Studies, Rutgers University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? The city has always been considered both utopia and dystopia. It is where people are able to imagine the unimaginable, move beyond the limits of tradition and the past, and come into contact with different perspectives and ways of life. Because of this diversity, it has also been seen as hard to control, to regulate, and to manage. So, an ethnically diverse city lives up to those scholarly representations of the city; it is an exciting place where you can be amongst and learn from people that are unlike you, where you can witness and be a part of a wide range of lived experiences, where you can taste different flavors, hear a cacophony of languages, learn about multitude of customs, experience different ways of being. In the global world of the 21st Century, being aware and familiar with the wide variety of experiences and ways of communication that exist in the world is not only an advantage, but is a necessity. This is not only about multicultural competence; it has real consequences not only in business, but for human rights, social justice, philanthropy, and environmental sustainability. These all depend on our understanding of how others live. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? The dystopian vision comes alive when considering “challenges” of ethnically diverse city. The potential for disagreement, lack of understanding, valuing of certain practices over others emerge in ethnically diverse cities. But the greatest challenges, I think, are around the unequal values and privileges afforded to certain experiences over others. Typically, this leads to a discrediting, or outright ignorance about the experiences of others, or attempting to curtail the rights of others. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? Communities make claims over their spaces. Rapid racial and ethnic demographic changes are not only about cultural turns. Demographic shifts are full of signification and accompanied by long-standing racial/ethnic stereotypes, historically- and policy-informed spatial inequality, and economic material realities. That is, because racial and ethnic stigmas are continually being produced, residents may fear loss of economic value when incoming new residents are of an ethnically subordinate group; for example Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) behavior. Scholars found that there was a tipping point for “racial succession,” that is when a neighborhood turned from white-to-black (or today we may say dominant ethnic group to subordinate ethnic group), in the middle of the 20th century. As soon as 3 in 10 families where black, the neighborhood would be perceived to be “a waste” and whites left. Such was the case of the suburb of Levittown in Long Island. On the other hand, as is more common today in certain major cities like New York City, residents of under-resourced urban areas understandably fear displacement, as incoming dominant group members go live there, as for example happens in gentrification processes. Now, it is important to note, that when economic and ethnic hierarchical positions are about the same, as in when ethnic diversity happens with high or low resources, changes in ethnic composition often involve greater collaboration, highlighting its benefits. It is often the case where working class neighborhoods are thought of as ethnically homogeneous, when in fact there is widespread diversity. For example, Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn has always been very ethnically diverse with Caribbeans, and Continental Africans, and African-Americans coexisting and forming lives with each other. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? True diversity requires recognizing existent social inequities, understanding that those manifest in the workplace as well, and being intentional about erasing them. Assessing merit based on blind objectivity, as if we live in societies that have historically provided equal opportunities, is in my opinion, misguided and leads to a recreation of those inequities. We have to want to create diversity in order to achieve it and to work against the legacy of policies, practices, and comforts, that blocks it. This will sometimes require extra efforts, like offering training and support in some areas. But ultimately, diversity is its own asset and it is at the heart of excellence and innovation. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? In my area of housing policy, I think it is imperative to think about what demands we place on the privileged to have an ethnically diverse society. As the world becomes more and more socio-economically unequal, it is important to move beyond thinking how those ethnic “others” fit into our society, but to demand from those who are already assumed to fit to rearrange their picture to include others. And I think governments and states should start thinking about how to create policy that further incentivizes this. A lot of policies target the bottom of the spectrum and we have to start thinking of policies that target the top and incentivize a commitment to diversity. Derek R. Avery Professor of Human Resource Management, Seymour Wolfbein Senior Research Fellow, Associate Editor, Journal of Business & Psychology, Fox School of Business, Temple University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? The opportunities to meet, interact with, and experience the culture of other ethnic groups. This can include access to a wider range of cultural amenities such as restaurants, museums, and entertainment. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? Because people often tend to live ethnically segregated lives, interacting with dissimilar others can create anxiety and be emotionally and psychologically taxing. This often results in a level of intergroup tension that can heighten conflict. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? Just like any other form of change, demographic shifts often require adjustment. It can require learning new languages and cultures. Primarily, it means being open to new experiences and keeping ethnocentrism (i.e., the notion that one's own beliefs and methods are superior to other alternatives) in check. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? The key word in this question is "effectively." For this to happen, organizations first must recognize that variability in the way their employees see the world, think, and behave is not only acceptable, but desirable. Subsequently, they must design their human resource management systems to facilitate accommodation of individual differences and minimize pressures for unnecessary assimilation. In other words, by allowing for differences and leveraging each employee's potential unique contributions, organizations create environments were everyone perceives the opportunity to thrive. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? Prioritize climate before composition. It is tempting to want to attain diversity then determine how to manage it, but this temptation should be avoided when possible. Instead, companies should focus on creating infrastructure (e.g., fair policies, educational opportunities about diversity) to support a diverse workforce prior to launching initiatives aimed at attracting heterogeneous personnel. Another tip is to focus employee attention on the opportunities presented by employee diversity such as opportunities for learning and enhanced creativity. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? Perhaps the most important government programs for promoting cultural diversity are those that ensure the provision of equal opportunity. For instance, research suggests it is still common to see discrimination against ethnic minorities in spheres such as employment, housing, and even customer service. To the extent that legislation is in place to prohibit such mistreatment and local authorities take steps to actively promote and enforce such laws/ordinances, communities should be better positioned to reap the benefits of cultural diversity. Moreover, as we've seen in several recent high profile cases involving law enforcement, it is important to have systems of checks and balances in place than can monitor for and redress discriminatory treatment. Patrick F. McKay Professor of Human Resource Management, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? There are several primary benefits associated with living in a diverse city. First, such cities provide their residents access to a wide variety of stimulating cultural amenities. These cities offer restaurants that serve an array of ethnic cuisines, arts and entertainment options that appeal to a broad cross-section of people, thereby perpetuating a more progressive and cosmopolitan mindset among residents. Also, ethnic minorities’ access to cultural amenities they prefer will improve their quality of life, and serve to more strongly attachment them to the area (and perhaps, their employers). Second, ethnically diverse cities helps children to grow up with a better appreciation of diverse cultures, and prepares them to deal effectively with people from different backgrounds and lifestyles. Third, and related to the second benefit, ethnically diverse cities can facilitate greater intergroup contact across demographic lines (e.g., racial-ethnic, cultural, etc.), thereby reducing intergroup conflict (i.e., negative social relations and/or disputes between members of different ethnic groups) between members of different social groups. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? Potential challenges to living in an ethnically diverse city include perceptions of group threat, social stratification, and ethnic discrimination. For instance, depending on the city, majority-group residents (e.g., Whites) may feel threatened by sizable ethnic minority populations in a location. These feelings of threat can precipitate efforts to increase physical and social distance between majority and minority groups such as residential segregation, workplace discrimination, and can lead to intergroup conflict. In addition, some ethnically diverse cities suffer from high levels of social stratification wherein minority residents are relegated to lower-status jobs, substandard housing, and relatedly, lower-quality school districts relative to their majority-group counterparts. Of course, the above factors depend on the history of the city in question with regard to the nature of intergroup relations between different ethnic groups over time. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? Often, rapid changes in a city's ethnic composition can lead to issues such as 'White flight' (as when a large influx of ethnic minorities move to a location), with potentially negative ramifications for the local economy, nature of relations between ethnic groups, etc. By contrast, gentrification has been raised as a concern with increasing numbers of majority residents moving back to central cities. This has led to the displacement of minority residents, thereby decreasing their access to affordable housing and the favorable amenities associated with locations that have higher tax bases (e.g., high-quality schools, safe neighborhoods). Of course, all of the above factors depend upon the history of racial-ethnic relations between residents in the city. The factors are compounded for locations that have had contentious relations between majority and minority ethnic groups. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Businesses can achieve true diversity in the workplace when they adopt work climate that perpetuate an appreciation of diversity. In other words, merely increasing diversity in the company labor force will not magically lead to positive organizational results. This is unlikely because, typically, members of minority groups are disparaged in the workplace compared to their ethnic majority colleagues. This leads to problems of recruitment and retention, as companies with negative reputations for mismanaging diversity will have difficulty attracting and keeping a diverse labor force. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? Managing a culturally diverse workforce, first and foremost, requires strong commitment to diversity from a company's top leadership. The leadership, in turn, must develop work systems that are designed to allow diversity to become a valued way of doing business. For instance, recruitment, selection, performance management, and other personnel systems must be administered in a way that acknowledges the influence of ethnic group membership on work outcomes. For instance, a company that uses an employee referral system may fail to reach potential minority job applicants if its workforce has little minority representation. This is likely because employees tend to refer people who are similar to themselves. Also, during selection, if interviewers are not trained to avoid various ethnic biases that have been shown to occur during interview (e.g., negative non-verbal behaviors such as grimacing, leaning away from the individual, a high frequency of blinking), minority job candidates lose interest in pursuing employment with the organization. Managers and supervisors must be trained to ensure that their performance appraisals are fair and based upon job behaviors, and resist the tendency to devalue the contributions of their minority personnel relative to their ethnic majority coworkers. Furthermore, management should foster an open culture wherein the perspectives and ideas of all company personnel are acknowledged and valued. Typically, the perspectives of ethnic minorities are ignored and marginalized, thereby reducing their propensity to speak up and make suggestions. The above illustrations were merely examples of how diversity management involves attention to the relative different work environments faced by ethnic minority and majority workers. Nancy DiTomaso Professor of Management and Global Business, Rutgers Business School—Newark and New Brunswick 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? Most ethnically diverse cities are also large cities, where the amenities in terms of universities, hospitals, cultural entertainment, and transportation (including airports) often accompany a diversity of job opportunities and business and industry growth. If the city is genuinely diverse without being segregated, then it is likely that the city is more tolerant, open to creative and innovative ideas, and provides the opportunity for each person or family to find the services and amenities that help them develop and thrive. Diversity provides the greatest benefits when income inequality does not overlay diversity by race/ethnicity. That is, when the status differences within the city cut across race/ethnic diversity rather than being defined by it, there is less conflict and more openness to people being authentic and true to themselves. The evidence for this analysis can be seen in the preferences of those from large and diverse cities not wanting to move elsewhere. Think New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles. Such cities are also very expensive, in part, because they are where so many people want to live. Cities that are diverse but where there is a strong inner city/suburban divide do not take advantage of the diversity that is inherent in their populations, and therefore they lose one of the main contributors to a positive future. Diverse cities that are attractive and provide substantial benefits tend to be international cities that are open to influences both locally and from elsewhere. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? If a city is diverse but segregated, and especially if race/ethnic diversity aligns with income inequality rather than cross-cuts it, there is likely to be more conflict and misunderstanding. Even cities that are defined by ethnic neighborhoods can be attractive, but when there is more insularity, the benefits of being in a diverse and global environment are lessened. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? In past research on this topic, it has generally been found that rapid changes in the ethnic composition of a population will lead to a sense of threat on the part of those who were the initial residents, and therefore, there might be incidents of boundary drawing that can lead to conflict, and potential for violence. Whether these negative outcomes emerge depend on how well the social institutions in the area, including schools, churches, and civic leaders actively endeavor to welcome newcomers and make them part of the community rather than leaving them isolated and on their own. When people from different backgrounds move into an area, there are lots of things that had been taken for granted that are likely to change, and that can cause fear and threat on the part of those who assumed that the way things had previously been done is the right way to do things. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Businesses that recognize the contributions of a diverse workforce to innovation and growth are likely to adopt policies and practices that support diversity in their recruitment, development, retention, promotion, and rewards. To do so, job requirements need to be explicit and articulated in advance of a hiring or promotion decision. The more that decision-making is left to subjective decisions on the part of managers, the more likely there is for bias (both for the majority and against those who are thought of as different) to occur. Most companies that have been successful and recognized as such for their programs on diversity have well developed procedures that are perceived as open and fair, have employees who see the value of diversity and its relationship to the strategic goals of the company, and understand the range of ways that people can be different (race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, tenure, and so on, as well as in diversity of thought or ways of approaching how they do their jobs) and yet contribute in important ways to accomplishing the company goals. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? Learning how to work effectively with people who have different backgrounds, different ways of approaching their work, and perhaps names that one cannot pronounce requires a set of skills that can be learned: isomorphic attribution (being able to explain someone else’s behavior the way he or she would explain it to themselves), emotional intelligence (the ability to understand oneself and others so that emotion does not hijack reason), conflict resolution (if people are different, there will always be some level of conflict from time to time), group facilitation, negotiation skills, and understanding how culture impacts behavior, among other things). Such companies (or work groups) are able to work collaboratively in that they can learn from each other without becoming alike (i.e., losing their diversity), provide an environment where people feel safe to share their ideas and to be themselves, and usually provide a means for employees to share leadership responsibilities, rather than leaving leadership only to the manager. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? State and local governments are made up of organizations, and as such, they can benefit from the same kinds of policies and practices as any other types of organizations. But as government agencies, they also have a special obligation to be fair and open in their procedures and to be equitable in their dealings with all of their constituents. Like other organizations, they should be attentive to the processes enacted in terms of recruitment, hiring, promotion, and rewards with regard to their employees, to the level of services provided to client bases and whether all groups are equitably served, and be open and fair with regard to access to contractors and suppliers. While it is also admirable for state and local governments to host special events that celebrate the different heritages of their citizenry, providing opportunity, access, and service in a fair and open way is probably even more important. Beth Chung Professor of Management and Director of the Institute for Inclusiveness and Diversity in Organizations, San Diego State University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? You are given the opportunity to learn about other racio-ethnic groups. It is especially important for someone who is an ethnic minority as there is a greater chance of finding a community in which one feels supported and finding products and services that might serve your particular ethnic group. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? By practicing inclusion behaviors and integrating diversity into the core business. Not just assimilating or segregating but really accepting and embracing diversity in the everyday practices of the organization. Margaret M. Chin Associate Professor of Sociology, Hunter College 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? Ethnic diversity is fact of life in NYC and to live in a city like this means that anyone at any time can appreciate the cultural pluralism and diversity that exists. Individuals and institutions can celebrate the diversity in the changing neighborhoods and at the same time, city officials are proud to support all the groups. People who are skilled and trained from around the world live and work here. This synergy often encourages the development of new ideas in the workplace. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? There is always potential for conflict, especially if it seems that some groups are leapfrogging over others at work, in the community or in schools. There is also potential for conflict if there is racial discrimination. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? It means that residents need to learn to be flexible. Sometimes, a city's ethnic composition changes when immigrants move into old neighborhoods -- where some of the older white families have left. Immigrants bring new businesses and clients to neighborhoods. Sometimes immigrants are the gentrifiers of neighborhoods. Sometimes, white gentrifiers move into neighborhoods which were predominately non-white. People gain some benefits but frequently the former residents and store owners get pushed out. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Businesses can achieve diversity by hiring members of the different ethnic and racial groups at all levels. For example, there are very few CEOs, few executives in the c-suites, and few members of Boards who have Asian, Black or Latino heritage. Increasing diversity at all levels can only benefit the organization in the future, as consumers of their products become increasingly diverse. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? To manage a culturally diverse workplace in finance, law, technology or other industry, the companies will have to support people of color. While all employees need mentors and sponsors, it is especially important for people of color because there are so few role models. I would advise every workplace to assign every person of color a mentor or sponsor. I would also try to encourage the workplaces to seriously consider their promotion up the ranks. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? At the neighborhood level, the city and government should strive to keep neighborhoods diverse. For some old time neighborhoods, it might mean to support and keep the old ethnic stores and religious institutions in place. For example, we see this need in Little Italy, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, and Williamsburg etc… In other neighborhoods, it might mean to support and finance the newer ethnic groups' stores and institutions. The city and state should also institute and mandate ethnic studies, African American History, Chicano History and Asian American History along with all US History courses. This is the only way where the majority of people will learn about the history and role that all groups have played in developing the United States, including the newest immigrants. Mario Luis Small Grafstein Family Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? The country as a whole is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse, and living in an ethnically diverse city today is good exposure to the opportunities and challenges all cities will be facing sooner or later. Ethnic diversity in neighborhoods is associated with a strong preponderance of businesses and local organizations that generate economic activity and sustain community. Children exposed to ethnic and language diversity early on, develop a broader and more sophisticated understanding of the diversity of the world. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? Ethnically diverse places are also culturally diverse, and groups do not always agree on the norms or values necessary to sustain community. Questions currently in the public conversation, such as gay marriage or religious freedom, are often perceived differently by people from different ethnic groups. Such differences make open dialogue essential. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? The answer depends on several factors. Sometimes, changes in ethnic composition are accompanied by changes in socio-economic composition. A city or region might experience an influx of low-skilled immigrants from a particular country, as has happened in several states in the Southwest, or high-skilled immigrants from a particular continent, as has happened in northern California. In such cases, the ethnic changes are made complicated by the economic changes the city or region is experiencing, and long-time residents can react negatively, conflating one with the other. The consequences of changes in ethnic composition also depend on the related issue of whether the city itself was already economically vibrant or economically stagnant. Long-term residents tend to react differently in good and bad economic times. At the same time, however, economic issues do not explain everything. There is a long-standing tradition of ethnically and racially based residential segregation in the United States, and historically people have resisted rapid change in ethnic composition. These changes, however, are inevitable. The one constant in the history of U.S neighborhood dynamics has been change. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? The most important elements are probably awareness of one’s natural biases and openness to creative solutions. There is a simple principle in sociology called “homophily,” which is the tendency to associate with people who resemble us. This principle applies to the workplace. Managers will naturally tend to identify with people who resemble them, and, thus, have a documented tendency to hire those who are like them. They may see a lapse in the resume as a minor indiscretion, or give someone a chance who looks as they did when they were younger. Being aware of this fact can help people reconsider whether they are giving equal chances to those who look different. The other way is openness about ways of finding people. For example, many managers rely heavily on their employees’ networks to hire new employees. If people tend to associate with those who resemble them, employees will tend to refer people who look very much like them, creating homogeneous workplaces. Using other ways of hiring people -- advertising more widely, making use of HR firms, and so on -- can help achieve a more diverse workplace. Gregory Sharp Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Sociology, Rice University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? One of the key benefits of living in ethnically diverse cities is the increased potential for interaction between members of different ethnic groups. This heightened exposure facilitates a more tolerant and open-minded view of others, alleviates persistent prejudice and discrimination, and fosters a willingness to live, work, and play among people of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? Some scholars argue that residents of ethnically diverse cities are more likely to exhibit lower levels of trust, helpfulness, and community engagement. Indeed, lingering prejudices and fears of other ethnic groups may potentially suppress interpersonal contacts and ultimately exacerbate conflict and competition. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? Residents of rapidly diversifying cities are witnessing a significant demographic transformation unlike any the nation has experienced. Incumbent residents often worry whether newcomers of a different race or ethnicity will harm local institutions, such as local schools, social services, or politics. Ideally, both newcomers and incumbents should support policies that incorporate all groups into the fabric of community life. Angie Y. Chung Associate Professor of Sociology, University at Albany 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? From a societal perspective, exposure to other languages and cultures helps native-born Americans to adapt to an increasingly diverse nation and become better prepared for an increasingly competitive global economy. We are also starting to witness the growing role of immigrants who are contributing their labor and tax dollars to local economies and transnational entrepreneurs and investors who are purchasing land, setting up businesses, and revitalizing neighborhoods that would otherwise experience significant urban decline. In addition, the presence of a developed ethnic enclave economy can potentially help some immigrant minorities overcome some of the stumbling blocks of adapting to a new country by providing them with a strong support system. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? As with cities that experience any type of rapid demographic change, the biggest challenge is adapting to the needs of the incoming population, especially in an environment of limited resources and increasing social inequality. This challenge is magnified as a result of the immense diversity of contemporary immigration, whose social, educational, and economic needs vary widely depending on their background and migration context. Second, cities need to work towards increasing adequate representation of these diverse interests in all areas of government, education, and work. Lastly, the urban development and ethnic enclave economies I noted previously do not benefit all, particularly those who are pushed out of neighborhoods because of rising property values, exclusion from these networks, and exploitation for their cheap labor. So the main challenge lies in taking advantage of what these new groups bring with them, without aggravating existing inequality within cities. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? A city's changing ethnic composition does not mean the same thing across all neighborhoods. Residents need assistance in understanding the type of groups that are entering, their specific interests, contributions and social needs, and the ways they can work together effectively with long-time residents. This might mean building alliances around specific issues that they have in common with local residents. Cultural understanding is one step but it is meaningless if it is not accompanied by more substantive efforts to address other social problems within the community. How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Going beyond racial quotas and token representation in hiring and promotion practices. Businesses need to rethink the way they define and apply the concept of "good workers" and "good leaders" that take into account the specific contributions that women and racial minorities can make in a globalizing economy. They also need to not only implement sensitivity training workshops but also back that up with effective policies that prevent discrimination and harassment. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? Working together with nonprofits that represent racial/ ethnic minorities and perhaps hiring an outside consultant who is experienced in handling these types of issues within minority populations. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? The biggest contribution state and local governments can make is to provide more resources to nonprofits that have demonstrated their ability to address some of the major challenges discussed above. Unfortunately, we have seen the reverse happen especially during economic recessions, much of which is not recovered even when the economy bounces back. The same goes for research on these pressing issues. Susan A. Ostrander Professor of Sociology Emerita, Tufts University 
What are the main benefits of living in an ethnically diverse city? Today's world is made up of people from many races and ethnic groups. Our workplaces, our schools, all are composed of a wonderful diverse mix of human beings. When our cities and our neighborhoods don't reflect this diversity, we live in a bubble that distorts reality. Day to day experience of relating only to people just like us causes us to fear others, and fear breeds conflict. If we live everyday with people different from us, we see how they are more similar to us than we may have thought. Living in an ethnically diverse city, we benefit from learning new ways to address community issues and problems, new languages and ways of seeing and thinking about our world. It's a rich mosaic instead of a bland canvas. What are some potential challenges of living in an ethnically diverse city? To gain the benefits of living in a diverse city, people need to be open to new ways of thinking and doing. Putting up barriers, refusing change, and we lose the value of that rich mosaic. What does it mean for residents when a city’s ethnic composition changes rapidly? Rapid change of any kind is unsettling and most of us don't deal easily with it. Rapid change in who the neighbors are -- how they look, how they dress, the language they speak, the food they eat, their religious practices, the music they play -- our initial reaction to all this can simply be fear. Will they replace us and cause us to lose our sense of home and community? Will they threaten our safety? Will they make demands on us that we don't want to meet? Will they take our jobs? How can businesses effectively achieve true diversity in the workplace? Diversity in the workplace already exists. The issue is how do businesses that have not previously been racially and ethnically diverse, are now going to deal with that. How can a business gain from the new ideas, new ways of doing things, new approaches to doing business that can follow from building an inclusive diverse workplace? Those ought to be the goals, the reasons, for becoming truly diverse -- because it's good for business, for innovation, for creativity. What are some tips of managing a culturally diverse workplace? While of course, new employees of whatever racial or ethnic background need to be well oriented, integrated and mentored to adapt to the current workplace culture, workplaces that are not open to change, those that think that diversity is mainly about incorporating new diverse employees into the status quo, those organizations lose out on the benefits of diversity. Also it doesn't work well for the new employees to do all the adapting. Everyone has to ready and willing to thinking and doing difference. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to promote the benefits of cultural diversity? Facilitating conversations that prepare people in neighborhoods and workplaces before change occurs is important. Making the new residents and new employees do the work when they arrive on the scene of getting long-time residents and employees used to diversity is a recipe for exploitation and failure.
Methodology
In order to determine the most culturally diverse places in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared 501 of the most populated U.S. cities across three key metrics: 1) Ethnoracial diversity, 2) Linguistic Diversity and 3) Birthplace Diversity. Our data set, each metric’s subcomponents and its corresponding weight are listed below. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most cultural diversity.
We then calculated a “Cultural Diversity Score” for each city based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct our final ranking.
Each city in our sample refers to city proper and excludes the surrounding metro area. We limited our sample to no more than 10 cities from each state and categorized them according to the following population sizes:
- Large cities: More than 300,000 people
- Midsize cities: 100,000 to 300,000 people
- Small cities: Fewer than 100,000 people
This analysis was conducted using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index method, which is a commonly accepted measurement of market concentration that also works effectively as a general-purpose measure of diversity.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity: Total Points - 50- 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 & Other Pacific Islander, Some Other Race Alone, Two or More Races but Not Hispanic or Latino)
- English
- Spanish
- Other Indo-European Languages
- Asian & Pacific Islander Languages
- Other Languages
- In state of residence
- Northeast region
- Midwest region
- South region
- West region
- U.S. Territory & Abroad (if born to American parent(s))
- Foreign Nation
Sources: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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