These Are The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Idaho

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 Idaho 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 31 cities in Idaho from most to least diverse. Here’s a look at the top ten:

1. Caldwell (Photos)
2. Rupert (Photos)
3. Jerome (Photos)
4. Burley (Photos)
5. Weiser (Photos)
6. Payette (Photos)
7. Hailey (Photos)
8. Nampa (Photos)
9. Blackfoot (Photos)
10. Mountain Home (Photos)

Caldwell took the number one over all spot for diversity in Idaho.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Idaho ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.

You can also check out the whitest places in Idaho for a look at the opposite side of the coin.

How We Determined The Most Diverse Cities In Idaho

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 Idaho.

That lead us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2011-2015 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 31 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 4882 (Caldwell) to 8633 (Sandpoint).

Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Caldwell took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Sandpoint was the least diverse city.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Idaho 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.

1. Caldwell

Population: 49,149
HHI: 4,882
% White: 59.71%
% African American: 0.46%
% Asian: 0.91%

2. Rupert

Population: 5,601
HHI: 4,916
% White: 55.79%
% African American: 0.04%
% Asian: 0.09%

3. Jerome

Population: 11,100
HHI: 4,978
% White: 60.22%
% African American: 0.0%
% Asian: 0.27%

4. Burley

Population: 10,245
HHI: 5,296
% White: 64.93%
% African American: 0.29%
% Asian: 0.5%

5. Weiser

Population: 5,362
HHI: 5,367
% White: 66.67%
% African American: 0.0%
% Asian: 0.9%

6. Payette

Population: 7,428
HHI: 5,606
% White: 70.36%
% African American: 0.27%
% Asian: 0.11%

7. Hailey

Population: 8,002
HHI: 5,651
% White: 69.17%
% African American: 0.07%
% Asian: 0.57%

8. Nampa

Population: 86,203
HHI: 5,748
% White: 72.14%
% African American: 0.61%
% Asian: 0.96%

9. Blackfoot

Population: 11,843
HHI: 5,976
% White: 74.53%
% African American: 0.49%
% Asian: 1.78%

10. Mountain Home

Population: 13,804
HHI: 6,454
% White: 79.48%
% African American: 2.3%
% Asian: 3.06%

There You Have It – Diversity Across Idaho

If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Idaho, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Idaho:

1. Sandpoint
2. Lewiston
3. Eagle

For more Idaho reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Drunkest Cities In Idaho
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Idaho
• These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Idaho

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Idaho

City	Rank	HHI	Population
Caldwell	1	4,882	49,149
Rupert	2	4,916	5,601
Jerome	3	4,978	11,100
Burley	4	5,296	10,245
Weiser	5	5,367	5,362
Payette	6	5,606	7,428
Hailey	7	5,651	8,002
Nampa	8	5,748	86,203
Blackfoot	9	5,976	11,843
Mountain Home	10	6,454	13,804
Twin Falls	11	6,558	45,984
Idaho Falls	12	7,036	58,374
Boise City	13	7,071	214,196
Garden City	14	7,193	11,313
Middleton	15	7,216	6,145
Emmett	16	7,336	6,548
Pocatello	17	7,381	54,549
Meridian	18	7,522	84,018
Chubbuck	19	7,574	14,224
Moscow	20	7,725	24,688
Kuna	21	7,810	16,557
Ammon	22	7,982	14,469
Rathdrum	23	7,984	7,174
Star	24	8,102	6,768
Rexburg	25	8,246	26,723
Preston	26	8,286	5,190
Post Falls	27	8,317	29,320
Hayden	28	8,456	13,749
Eagle	29	8,515	21,863
Lewiston	30	8,532	32,284
Sandpoint	31	8,633	7,571