Race relations in America seem to be hitting a tipping point.
While we still haven’t dealt with racism as a society, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency has only flamed the tensions that have been mounting for years.
Part of the reason for that tension? The country as a whole continues to self segregate across race, income, and party lines. But it’s not all bad on the race relations front.
There are parts of Florida where there’s a high level of diversity — where people of all walks of life come together. We decided to shine a light on those places today.
Using a standard measure of diversity, we ranked all 217 cities in Florida from most to least diverse.
Here are the 10 most diverse places in Florida for 2019:
So what city is the most diverse in Florida? According to the most Census data, Oakland Park took the number one over all spot for diversity in Florida.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Florida ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.
And if you already knew these places were diverse, check out:
How we determined the most diverse cities in Florida for 2019
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the census. So that’s where we went to get the breakdown of race across Florida.
That lead us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2013-2017 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names 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 limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 217 cities.
We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 2,961 (Oakland Park) to 9,418 (Sanibel).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Oakland Park took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Sanibel was the least diverse city.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Florida ranked for diversity or, for a more general take on diversity in america, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
The 10 Most Diverse Places In Florida For 2019
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Oakland Park, officially the City of Oakland Park, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city’s population was 41,363, mainly due to annexation of North Andrews Gardens and Twin Lakes South. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census.
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Orlando is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Orange County. Located in Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,387,138, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in March 2016, making it the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida. As of 2015, Orlando had an estimated city-proper population of 270,934, making it the 73rd-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the state’s largest inland city.
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Population: 92,272
HHI: 2,995
% White: 30.0%
% African American: 34.9%
% Asian: 3.1%
More on Sunrise: Data
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Population: 64,262
HHI: 3,073
% White: 39.3%
% African American: 27.5%
% Asian: 3.2%
More on Tamarac: Data
Tamarac is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 60,427. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people according to the 2010 census.
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Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 53,570.
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Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately 20 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people at the 2015 census.
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Population: 166,530
HHI: 3,165
% White: 30.4%
% African American: 19.1%
% Asian: 5.3%
More on Pembroke Pines: Data
Pembroke Pines is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city had a population of 154,750 as of the 2010 census, making it the second-most populous city in Broward County and the 11th-most populous in Florida. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people in 2015.
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West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is one of the three main cities in South Florida. The population was 100,343 at the 2010 census. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research estimates a 2016 population of 108,896, a 7.9% increase from 2010. It is the oldest municipality in the Miami metropolitan area, having been incorporated as a city two years before Miami in November 1894. Although West Palm Beach is located approximately 68 miles north of Downtown Miami, it is still considered a principal city within the Miami metropolitan area, due to the solid urbanization between both cities. The estimated population of the Miami metropolitan area, which includes all of Palm Beach County, was 6,012,331 people at the 2015 census.
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Tampa is a major city in, and the county seat of, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. It is on the west coast of Florida on Tampa Bay, near the Gulf of Mexico, and is the largest city in the Tampa Bay Area. The city had a population of 335,709 at the 2010 census, and an estimated population of 377,165 in 2016.
There You Have It – Diversity Across Florida
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Florida, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Florida:
- Sanibel
- Hialeah
- Hialeah Gardens
For more Florida reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Florida
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Florida
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Florida
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Florida
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Florida
- 10 Safest Places In Florida
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Florida
