Wallethub: Most Diverse States in America

The American narrative is a story of diversity. Our history tells of many different peoples coming together from every walk of life to form what is today a complex tapestry of backgrounds. Our story will continue to advance that narrative in the decades to come. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2045 the U.S. will no longer have a single ethnic majority, currently non-Hispanic whites, and will grow increasingly more diverse in the years to follow. We can already see signs of change just by looking at the past decade. Between the censuses in 2010 and 2020, the diversity index, or the chance that two randomly-chosen Americans would be from different racial and ethnic groups, rose from 54.9% to 61.1%. 

Diversity in the U.S. spans far more than just racial lines, though. The U.S. population reflects a mix of not just races and ethnicities but also cultures, religions, economic statuses, educational backgrounds and other characteristics. These groups come together in everyday life, influencing and experiencing one another. However, some elements of society aren’t as diverse as others. For example, there are only 58 women among the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and around 77 percent of those companies’ board members are white (including men and women). 

Some U.S. states promote diversity more than others. In order to determine where idea and identity exchanges have occurred at the highest level — and where the population is relatively more homogeneous — WalletHub compared the 50 states across six key diversity categories. For a more local perspective on America’s ever-expanding diversity, we also conducted our analysis at the city level.

“Race and gender are probably the first things that come to mind when people think about diversity, but there’s plenty more that makes this nation diverse. The most diverse states have above-average variety when it comes to people’s ages, birthplaces, languages, jobs, family structures and more. Moving to a diverse state can be an extremely enriching experience as it exposes you to new ideas and new ways of living.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

In-Depth Look at the Most Diverse States

California

California is the most diverse state in America, which isn’t too surprising given that it’s one of our border states and it has the largest population in the country. California has the most diversity in the country when it comes to the languages people speak. Nearly 56% of residents speak only English at home, while 28% also speak Spanish and nearly 10% speak Asian or Pacific Islander languages.

California also has the second-highest diversity among racial and ethnic groups. Nearly 35% of residents are white, while nearly 40% are Hispanic, over 15% are Asian and around 5% are black. 

To top things off, California has the second-most diversity in educational attainment, the second-most household size diversity and the fourth-most industry diversity, which shows that it brings together people of many different backgrounds and with many different expertises. 

Texas

Texas is the second-most diverse state in America, and it is another border state with a large population. Texas really stands out in terms of industrial diversity, though, leading the country when it comes to the range of jobs residents have to choose from. 

As you might expect, Texas also has a lot of racial and ethnic diversity, the fifth-most in the country. Around 40% of the population is white, nearly 40% is Hispanic, nearly 12% is black and 5% is Asian. 

Texas also has the third-most language diversity, with nearly 35% of residents speaking a non-English language at home. In addition, it has the third-most religious diversity and the fourth-most household size diversity.

New Mexico

New Mexico is the third-most diverse state. One notable aspect is that it has the 13th-most birthplace diversity. Over 9% of the population was born in a foreign country. In addition, only around 53% of residents were born in New Mexico, while the highest percentage of U.S.-born residents moved from the South and West regions. 

New Mexico also has the highest household diversity, a fact reflected in its varied housing patterns and demographic makeup. In addition, the state has the fifth-most language diversity, with close to 32% of residents speaking a non-English language at home.

Finally, New Mexico has the tenth-most racial and ethnic diversity. Around 37% of the population is white, while 48% is Hispanic, 2% is black and 2% is Asian.