With the U.S. needing to stamp out hatred after hate crimes rose significantly in major cities during 2022, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Most Diverse Cities in America, as well as expert commentary.
To determine the places in the U.S. with the most mixed demographics, WalletHub compared the profiles of more than 500 of the largest cities across five major diversity categories: socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household and religious.
| Most Diverse Cities in America | Least Diverse Cities in America |
| 1. Gaithersburg, MD | 492. Anaconda, MT |
| 2. Germantown, MD | 493. Dover, NH |
| 3. Silver Spring, MD | 494. Morgantown, WV |
| 4. Houston, TX | 495. Orem, UT |
| 5. Arlington, TX | 496. Provo, UT |
| 6. New York, NY | 497. Bangor, ME |
| 7. Jersey City, NJ | 498. Keene, NH |
| 8. Charlotte, NC | 499. North Platte, NE |
| 9. Dallas, TX | 500. Rochester, NH |
| 10. Los Angeles, CA | 501. Brattleboro, VT |
Key Stats
- St. Charles, Missouri, has the highest income diversity, which is 2.1 times higher than in Youngtown, Ohio, the city with the lowest.
- Germantown, Maryland, has the highest racial and ethnic diversity, which is four times higher than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest.
- Thornton, Colorado, has the highest industry diversity, which is 2.8 times higher than in Brattleboro, Vermont, the city with the lowest.
- Caldwell, Idaho, has the highest occupational diversity, which is 3.2 times higher than in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the city with the lowest.
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/most-diverse-cities/12690
Expert Commentary
What are the pros and cons of living and working in a diverse city?
“The benefit of living in a diverse city is that it gives you a much larger market to sell your products. It also allows you to engage with the real world. We live in a very diverse world. There are numerous people from a variety of cultures, races, and social backgrounds. The more diverse the city you live in, the more ready you are to engage with the rest of the world. With the internet and cell phones, the world has gotten smaller. There is tremendous immigration. We are trying to create a community of diversity. Employers cannot afford to lock anyone out of the market. Therefore, the more you understand others, the more valuable you are to potential employers. Also, if you want to have kids, the more diverse their experiences, the better they will be to succeed in the future world.
The drawbacks are that there is still a great deal of racism and ethnocentrism. If you are part of a minority group, you may feel the brunt of this diversity.”
Abel A. Bartley – Professor, Clemson University
“Living and working in a diverse city have benefits for everyone. For those who are traditionally in the minority, it can increase a sense of belonging to know they are not alone – to see other people from their background, hear their language spoken by others, or see their culture, food, and religion represented by others too. It is also wonderful exposure for everyone to be around people who are comfortable sharing more of their authentic selves in their neighborhoods and workplaces.”
Meera E Deo, Ph.D., JD – Professor, Southwestern Law School
What can local policymakers do to harness the diversity in their cities to spur innovation?
“Local government officials can prioritize the recruitment and hiring of women and racial minorities so that they can contribute their ideas and plans for innovative city programs and services that meet the needs of their communities. It is an important consideration that some of them be appointed or promoted to leadership positions in city government so they can play significant roles in implementing these new programs and services. More generally, women and racial minorities can be provided with opportunities through grant funding by city agencies to develop new programs in employment, health care services, housing, and education.”
Jonathan Y. Okamura – Professor Emeritus, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
“The most important way to harness diversity to spur innovation is to encourage it! Are there opportunities for different groups to share ideas they have? Who knows about these opportunities? Are they advertised inclusively? For instance, leaders can place ads in ethnic news outlets as well as mainstream papers or fliers in barbershops as well as banks. When people who are traditionally at the margins know they are being solicited and included, they are much more likely to participate.”
Meera E Deo, Ph.D., JD – Professor, Southwestern Law School
What can local governments do to ensure health and wealth equity?
“If local governments have the financial resources, such as property tax revenues, to foster wealth equity, they can invest them in public education for the benefit of their residents. They should ensure that public schools in their jurisdiction are sufficiently funded so that all students are provided with equal educational opportunities and can aspire to a college or vocational education, which can result in them having good-paying jobs. Local governments can develop tax programs to furnish additional funds for public education, such as a surcharge on non-owner-occupied homes in their cities. Working with private contractors, such funds can also be used to develop affordable housing for low-income families and individuals. As for ensuring health equity, local governments can begin by passing ordinances that protect their community residents from environmental pollution of their water, air, and land. They also can provide health care insurance to all of their employees.”
Jonathan Y. Okamura – Professor Emeritus, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
“An important way to ensure health and wealth equity is to think beyond equality. Striving toward equality means treating everyone the same and hoping everyone arrives at the same outcomes. But different groups have different resources, priorities, and needs. So, if we instead highlight equity – doing what is fair – we may need to treat groups differently to get good outcomes for everyone. Some groups may need targeted outreach in their native language to feel comfortable making an appointment at a bank. Others will want to see that medical professionals are aware of unique health issues facing their community before seeking care. A focus on equity rather than equality is a great way to use a fair process to achieve better outcomes.”
Meera E Deo, Ph.D., JD – Professor, Southwestern Law School