Most Racially Diverse States in America
This ranking scores each state with a diversity index: the probability, from 0 to 100, that two residents chosen at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups. Hawaii is the most diverse state in America with an index of 76, while Vermont is the least diverse at 18. All 50 states and DC are ranked below.
Top 10 by Diversity Index
Hawaii and California lead the ranking, and the top ten is dominated by states where no single racial or ethnic group forms a large majority — the pattern behind a high index score. Nationally the population is 58.2% non-Hispanic White, 19.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Black, and 5.8% Asian, and the most diverse states are simply the ones whose local mix comes closest to — or spreads wider than — that national blend.
Geography drives the list: immigration gateways and the Sun Belt score high, while northern New England and the rural interior — led by Vermont at 18 — remain the most homogeneous. State averages also hide enormous local variation; many cities inside mid-ranked states score far higher than any state does. City-level race and ethnicity breakdowns are on every city page, reachable from the largest US cities ranking.
Full Rankings
| # | State | Diversity Index | White | Hispanic/Latino | Black | Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 76/100 | 21.1% | 9.8% | 1.8% | 36.7% |
| 2 | California | 69/100 | 34.6% | 39.8% | 5.3% | 15.0% |
| 3 | Nevada | 69/100 | 46.0% | 29.2% | 9.0% | 8.5% |
| 4 | Texas | 67/100 | 39.9% | 39.5% | 11.9% | 5.3% |
| 5 | Maryland | 67/100 | 47.4% | 12.1% | 29.2% | 6.4% |
| 6 | District of Columbia | 67/100 | 36.6% | 11.6% | 42.5% | 4.0% |
| 7 | New Jersey | 66/100 | 51.9% | 21.9% | 12.3% | 9.8% |
| 8 | New York | 65/100 | 53.4% | 19.6% | 13.6% | 8.8% |
| 9 | Florida | 64/100 | 51.4% | 26.8% | 14.8% | 2.8% |
| 10 | Georgia | 64/100 | 49.8% | 10.7% | 31.0% | 4.3% |
| 11 | New Mexico | 63/100 | 36.5% | 48.1% | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| 12 | Alaska | 62/100 | 58.3% | 7.1% | 3.0% | 6.3% |
| 13 | Arizona | 61/100 | 53.4% | 31.0% | 4.4% | 3.3% |
| 14 | Illinois | 60/100 | 58.8% | 18.5% | 13.6% | 5.8% |
| 15 | Virginia | 60/100 | 59.0% | 10.7% | 18.4% | 6.8% |
| 16 | Delaware | 59/100 | 59.0% | 10.7% | 21.4% | 4.1% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 58/100 | 60.7% | 10.9% | 20.3% | 3.1% |
| 18 | Louisiana | 58/100 | 56.2% | 7.0% | 30.8% | 1.7% |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 57/100 | 62.8% | 12.3% | 6.9% | 2.3% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 56/100 | 63.0% | 17.8% | 9.9% | 4.7% |
| 21 | Washington | 55/100 | 64.3% | 14.1% | 3.8% | 9.3% |
| 22 | Mississippi | 55/100 | 55.4% | 3.6% | 36.9% | 1.0% |
| 23 | South Carolina | 54/100 | 62.2% | 7.1% | 25.1% | 1.7% |
| 24 | Colorado | 52/100 | 65.6% | 22.2% | 3.8% | 3.2% |
| 25 | Alabama | 52/100 | 63.8% | 5.4% | 25.9% | 1.4% |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 51/100 | 67.8% | 12.9% | 6.5% | 7.0% |
| 27 | Arkansas | 50/100 | 68.4% | 8.8% | 14.8% | 1.5% |
| 28 | Rhode Island | 49/100 | 69.1% | 17.1% | 5.0% | 3.4% |
| 29 | Tennessee | 46/100 | 71.5% | 7.1% | 15.7% | 1.8% |
| 30 | Oregon | 45/100 | 72.3% | 14.3% | 1.8% | 4.4% |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | 44/100 | 73.8% | 8.4% | 10.3% | 3.7% |
| 32 | Michigan | 44/100 | 73.0% | 5.7% | 13.2% | 3.3% |
| 33 | Kansas | 44/100 | 73.4% | 13.3% | 5.3% | 2.9% |
| 34 | Ohio | 40/100 | 76.5% | 4.6% | 12.1% | 2.4% |
| 35 | Indiana | 40/100 | 76.1% | 8.4% | 9.1% | 2.5% |
| 36 | Minnesota | 40/100 | 76.7% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 5.0% |
| 37 | Utah | 40/100 | 75.7% | 15.4% | 1.0% | 2.3% |
| 38 | Nebraska | 40/100 | 76.2% | 12.3% | 4.6% | 2.5% |
| 39 | Missouri | 39/100 | 76.8% | 5.1% | 11.0% | 2.1% |
| 40 | Wisconsin | 36/100 | 79.2% | 7.8% | 6.0% | 2.9% |
| 41 | Idaho | 35/100 | 79.3% | 13.3% | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| 42 | South Dakota | 35/100 | 80.3% | 4.6% | 2.2% | 1.4% |
| 43 | Kentucky | 31/100 | 82.3% | 4.7% | 7.8% | 1.5% |
| 44 | North Dakota | 31/100 | 82.5% | 4.5% | 3.2% | 1.5% |
| 45 | Wyoming | 31/100 | 82.1% | 10.4% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 46 | Iowa | 30/100 | 83.1% | 7.0% | 3.8% | 2.4% |
| 47 | Montana | 29/100 | 84.1% | 4.4% | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| 48 | New Hampshire | 23/100 | 87.5% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 2.6% |
| 49 | West Virginia | 18/100 | 90.2% | 2.0% | 3.2% | 0.8% |
| 50 | Maine | 18/100 | 90.6% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 1.1% |
| 51 | Vermont | 18/100 | 90.6% | 2.5% | 1.2% | 1.6% |
The District of Columbia is included for comparison, although it is not a state.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.
About This Ranking
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.
More National Rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most diverse state in the US?
Hawaii is the most racially and ethnically diverse state with a diversity index of 76/100 — meaning two randomly chosen residents have a 76% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
What is the least diverse state?
Vermont is the least diverse state with an index of 18/100; its population is 90.6% non-Hispanic White.
How is the diversity index calculated?
The index is a Simpson/Herfindahl-style measure: 1 minus the sum of the squared population shares of each racial and ethnic group, scaled to 0–100. It equals the probability that two randomly selected residents belong to different groups.