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 Maryland 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 41 cities in Maryland from most to least diverse. Here’s a look at the top ten:
- Gaithersburg (Photos)
- Hyattsville (Photos)
- Laurel (Photos)
- Greenbelt (Photos)
- Rockville (Photos)
- Takoma Park (Photos)
- Mount Rainier (Photos)
- College Park (Photos)
- Riverdale Park (Photos)
- Frederick (Photos)
Gaithersburg took the number one over all spot for diversity in Maryland.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Maryland ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.
You can also check out the whitest places in Maryland for a look at the opposite side of the coin.
How We Determined The Most Diverse Cities In Maryland
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 Maryland.
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 41 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 2622 (Gaithersburg) to 9166 (Hampstead).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Gaithersburg took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Hampstead was the least diverse city.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Maryland 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. Gaithersburg
Population: 64,945HHI: 2,622
% White: 38.29%
% African American: 17.15%
% Asian: 17.96%
2. Hyattsville
Population: 18,225HHI: 2,975
% White: 23.02%
% African American: 34.18%
% Asian: 4.36%
3. Laurel
Population: 25,849HHI: 3,312
% White: 22.67%
% African American: 49.44%
% Asian: 8.21%
4. Greenbelt
Population: 23,827HHI: 3,329
% White: 25.27%
% African American: 49.0%
% Asian: 7.84%
5. Rockville
Population: 64,331HHI: 3,335
% White: 50.75%
% African American: 9.49%
% Asian: 20.34%
6. Takoma Park
Population: 17,478HHI: 3,344
% White: 45.38%
% African American: 32.5%
% Asian: 4.97%
7. Mount Rainier
Population: 8,329HHI: 3,441
% White: 14.62%
% African American: 41.27%
% Asian: 1.13%
8. College Park
Population: 31,730HHI: 3,545
% White: 53.8%
% African American: 17.95%
% Asian: 14.66%
9. Riverdale Park
Population: 7,169HHI: 3,671
% White: 17.74%
% African American: 24.62%
% Asian: 4.74%
10. Frederick
Population: 67,421HHI: 3,672
% White: 54.94%
% African American: 18.63%
% Asian: 6.17%
There You Have It – Diversity Across Maryland
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Maryland, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Maryland:
- Hampstead
- Thurmont
- District Heights
For more Maryland reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In Maryland
- 10 Small Towns In Maryland Where You’d Never Want To Live
Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Maryland
| City | Rank | HHI |
|---|---|---|
| Gaithersburg | 1 | 2,622 |
| Hyattsville | 2 | 2,975 |
| Laurel | 3 | 3,312 |
| Greenbelt | 4 | 3,329 |
| Rockville | 5 | 3,335 |
| Takoma Park | 6 | 3,344 |
| Mount Rainier | 7 | 3,441 |
| College Park | 8 | 3,545 |
| Riverdale Park | 9 | 3,671 |
| Frederick | 10 | 3,672 |
| Bowie | 11 | 3,808 |
| Salisbury | 12 | 3,859 |
| Annapolis | 13 | 3,888 |
| Aberdeen | 14 | 3,891 |
| Cambridge | 15 | 4,301 |
| Cheverly | 16 | 4,331 |
| Fruitland | 17 | 4,372 |
| New Carrollton | 18 | 4,627 |
| La Plata | 19 | 4,655 |
| Baltimore | 20 | 4,696 |
| Bladensburg | 21 | 4,854 |
| Hagerstown | 22 | 5,085 |
| Easton | 23 | 5,158 |
| Elkton | 24 | 5,480 |
| Havre De Grace | 25 | 5,599 |
| Cheste | 26 | 5,690 |
| Poolesville | 27 | 5,785 |
| Frostburg | 28 | 6,668 |
| Westminster | 29 | 6,753 |
| Chesapeake Beach | 30 | 6,975 |
| Bel Air | 31 | 7,118 |
| Brunswick | 32 | 7,428 |
| Taneytown | 33 | 7,586 |
| Glenarden | 34 | 7,685 |
| Cumberland | 35 | 7,772 |
| Walkersville | 36 | 8,006 |
| Mount Airy | 37 | 8,317 |
| Ocean City | 38 | 8,554 |
| District Heights | 39 | 8,591 |
| Thurmont | 40 | 8,803 |
| Hampstead | 41 | 9,166 |
