The 10 Most (And Least) Diverse States In America For 2024

The 10 Most Diverse States In America For 2024

1. Hawaii

Hawaii takes the diversity cake. Look at these numbers: 36.49% Asian, 24% mixed, 21.04% white, 10.96% Hispanic, 10% Native Hawaiian or Islander and 2% black. There’s also a few Native Americans here too.

Hawaii is interestingly the third most economically diverse state, too – meaning there’s a big gap between the rich and the poor here. And 3% of people in Honolulu are Buddhist. If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you’d know, this is also a melting pot of cuisine. There’s poke, poi, pineapple, spam musubi, laulau, plate lunch, and of course, shaved ice.

Population: 1,450,589
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
HHI: 2,374
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2. California

Of course, California is diverse. And at the rate things are currently going, California will be atop this list at some point soon. California is currently 35.19% white, 39.68% Hispanic, 14.89% Asian, and 5.34% African American. When you look at this ethnic mix, you can understand why there are more various languages spoken in California households than any other place in America.

While most people assume California’s diversity stems from a hispanic population boom, in fact, it’s the Asian population that’s stemming a majority of the growth here. As such, California has the nation’s highest Chinese population, too. Overall, as you can imagine, California has the most foriegn born residents. 27% of California’s population was born outside of the US.

In West Virginia, that number is 1%.

Population: 39,356,104
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
HHI: 3,078
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3. Nevada

What makes Nevada such a diverse place? It’s less than half white for starters. (Hispanics make up nearly a third of the population, and African American and Asian populations are nearly 10%.)

The Las Vegas metro makes up a quarter of this state’s population. Due to the city’s international flair, it’s a big draw for people from all over the world. It has a large Phillipino population, and 5% of Vegas” population is of mixed descent. We won a little bit of money while we were in Vegas, but we lost it all again. Same as it ever was.

Population: 3,104,817
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
HHI: 3,200
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4. Texas

Here in Texas, it’s pretty much a white or Hispanic state. 40.12% are white, 39.89% are Hispanic, and the other 20% pretty much black or Asian). Of course, over time, Texas has become very hispanic. Over the last few years, the white birth rate in Texas has shrunk to 33%, and the hispanic birth rate has risen, and is now 47%. But, across America, the birth rate for Hispanic women has fallen by 31 percent in the last ten years. That’s because now, 2 in 3 Hispanic women were born in the US.

Today’s American-born Hispanic women are less likely to be poor and more likely to be educated than their immigrant mothers and grandmothers, and are more often delaying childbearing so they can finish school and start careers. Hence, in many areas of America, the Hispanic population boom is slowing.

Population: 29,243,342
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
HHI: 3,372
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5. Maryland

It’s time to take a quick flight to Maryland. Maryland is the second least white state we’ll see, after New Mexico. Here, half the population is white. About a third are African American, ~10% are Hispanic, and ~7% are Asian.

Baltimore is the big reason Maryland has such a high black population. Baltimore is 63% black, which makes it the 5th most african americanest city in the country. Going back to 1940, Baltimore was 80% white. That’s a big change.

Maryland also ranks 4th in terms of income diversity. There’s a lot of really rich and really poor people here.

Population: 6,161,707
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
HHI: 3,398
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6. New Jersey

Here in the Garden State, god planted a lot of different seeds. The racial breakdown is as such, which shows there are actually four major races here, since the Asian population stands at 10%.

New Jersey has America’s largest Italian population. There are also a lot of Jews in New Jersey. 6% of Jew Nersians are of the Jewish American population, good for the 3rd highest population in the US

Population: 9,249,063
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
HHI: 3,516
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7. New York

Of course New York is one of the most diverse states. This chart shows just over half of the population is white, and its about 20% Hispanic, 18% black, and nearly 10% Asian. Notice New York is also 2.6% mixed race, which is really high. New York is home to the nation’s largest Dominican population, too.

But New York City alone is what really makes this state so diverse in many ways. Within New York City there are more racial, ethnic and cultural differences than anywhere else in the US. Another interesting fact: 10% of New York City are either Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or Jewish.

Population: 19,994,379
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
HHI: 3,555
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8. Florida

Next we pull into Miami International Airport, and Florida, our eighth most diverse state in the union.

In Georgia, it’sthe black population that made it diverse, in Florida, it’s the hispanic and latino population which makes it so varied here. Florida is 51.97% white, 26.52% hispanic and 14.94% African American. That’s a racial stew. Plus, Florida has the nation’s largest Cuban population, which make up 7% of the state’s total population. That’s a lot.

Because of Florida’s high elderly population, it ranks first in the US for generational diversity – meaning the gap between the young and old is the biggest in Florida. That makes for some interesting conversations, I’m sure.

Population: 21,634,529
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
HHI: 3,644
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9. Georgia

As we come in for a landing, we realize where we are, and this is quite a surprise. We’re in Georgia. But when you look at the numbers, it makes sense. Here’s why: In the United States, the racial makeup is as follows: 60% white alone, 18% hispanic, 13% black, 6% asian, and 1% native american. And some other smaller races.

In Georgia, the racial composition is quite different. Here, the African American population is very high – at 31.09%. The White population here is 50.78% and hispanics make up almost 10.06%.

Now, let’s compare that to our least diverse state in America, Maine, where it’s over 90% white. A real big difference.

Population: 10,722,325
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
HHI: 3,675
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10. Alaska

Population: 734,821
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
HHI: 3,785
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How We Determined The Most Diverse States In The United States For 2024?

We decided to look at racial diversity across America using Saturday Night Science and the most recently available Census data — the 2018-2022 American Community Survey data from the US Census. Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the actual categories as defined by the Census:

• White alone*
• Black or African American alone*
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
• Asian alone*
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
• Some other race alone*
• Two or more races*
• Hispanic or Latino

We then calculated the HHI for each state by taking the percent of each of the above for the state, squaring them, and then adding it together. This left us with scores ranging from 2,374 (Hawaii) to 8,378 (Vermont).

Finally, we ranked each state based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Hawaii took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Vermont was the least diverse state in America.

We updated this report for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the most diverse states in the United States.

Summary: The Most Diverse States For 2024

After measuring the HHI of every state, these states came out on top with Hawaii as being the state that is the most diverse.

The most diverse states in the United States are Hawaii, California, Nevada, Texas, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Georgia, and Alaska.

The least diverse states in the United States are Vermont, Maine, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Montana, Iowa, Kentucky, North Dakota, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

For more reading, check out:

• Best States To Raise A Family In America
• Worst Places To Live In America
• Best Places For Families By State

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse States In The US For 2024

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