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 Missouri 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 127 cities in Missouri from most to least diverse. Here’s a look at the top ten:
- St. Robert
- Grandview (Photos)
- Olivette (Photos)
- Kansas City (Photos)
- University City (Photos)
- St. Louis (Photos)
- Hazelwood (Photos)
- Charleston (Photos)
- Raytown (Photos)
- Maryland Heights (Photos)
St. Robert took the number one over all spot for diversity in Missouri.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Missouri ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.
You can also check out the whitest places in Missouri for a look at the opposite side of the coin.
How We Determined The Most Diverse Cities In Missouri
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 Missouri.
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 127 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 3102 (St. Robert) to 9431 (Union).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. St. Robert took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Union was the least diverse city.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Missouri 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. St. Robert
Population: 5,151HHI: 3,102
% White: 49.29%
% African American: 14.93%
% Asian: 9.36%
2. Grandview
Population: 24,997HHI: 3,660
% White: 44.68%
% African American: 39.21%
% Asian: 0.74%
3. Olivette
Population: 7,843HHI: 3,907
% White: 56.53%
% African American: 23.59%
% Asian: 10.71%
4. Kansas City
Population: 467,990HHI: 3,994
% White: 55.29%
% African American: 28.68%
% Asian: 2.55%
5. University City
Population: 35,172HHI: 4,119
% White: 52.11%
% African American: 36.94%
% Asian: 3.24%
6. St. Louis
Population: 317,850HHI: 4,141
% White: 43.08%
% African American: 47.52%
% Asian: 2.83%
7. Hazelwood
Population: 25,686HHI: 4,302
% White: 55.4%
% African American: 34.66%
% Asian: 2.95%
8. Charleston
Population: 5,877HHI: 4,614
% White: 45.28%
% African American: 50.57%
% Asian: 0.09%
9. Raytown
Population: 29,486HHI: 4,683
% White: 62.32%
% African American: 27.58%
% Asian: 1.23%
10. Maryland Heights
Population: 27,401HHI: 4,705
% White: 66.04%
% African American: 10.71%
% Asian: 13.49%
There You Have It – Diversity Across Missouri
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Missouri, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Missouri:
- Union
- Park Hills
- Dexter
For more Missouri reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Cities In Missouri
- These Are The 10 Drunkest Cities In Missouri
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Missouri
| City | Rank | HHI |
|---|---|---|
| St. Robert | 1 | 3,102 |
| Grandview | 2 | 3,660 |
| Olivette | 3 | 3,907 |
| Kansas City | 4 | 3,994 |
| University City | 5 | 4,119 |
| St. Louis | 6 | 4,141 |
| Hazelwood | 7 | 4,302 |
| Charleston | 8 | 4,614 |
| Raytown | 9 | 4,683 |
| Maryland Heights | 10 | 4,705 |
| St. John | 11 | 4,732 |
| St. Ann | 12 | 4,794 |
| Florissant | 13 | 4,805 |
| Caruthersville | 14 | 5,024 |
| Carthage | 15 | 5,050 |
| Overland | 16 | 5,115 |
| Ferguson | 17 | 5,266 |
| Bridgeton | 18 | 5,338 |
| Sikeston | 19 | 5,429 |
| Creve Coeur | 20 | 5,589 |
| Bonne Terre | 21 | 5,604 |
| Jefferson City | 22 | 5,792 |
| Marshall | 23 | 5,818 |
| Clayton | 24 | 5,853 |
| Berkeley | 25 | 5,950 |
| Waynesville | 26 | 5,954 |
| Columbia | 27 | 5,980 |
| Maplewood | 28 | 6,119 |
| Monett | 29 | 6,120 |
| Cameron | 30 | 6,151 |
| Bowling Green | 31 | 6,166 |
| Richmond Heights | 32 | 6,186 |
| Bellefontaine Neighbors | 33 | 6,216 |
| Black Jack | 34 | 6,334 |
| Independence | 35 | 6,379 |
| Cape Girardeau | 36 | 6,434 |
| Warrensburg | 37 | 6,682 |
| Kennett | 38 | 6,701 |
| Neosho | 39 | 6,702 |
| Sedalia | 40 | 6,765 |
| Belton | 41 | 6,769 |
| Fulton | 42 | 6,784 |
| Boonville | 43 | 6,884 |
| Rolla | 44 | 6,936 |
| St. Charles | 45 | 6,939 |
| Manchester | 46 | 6,943 |
| Chesterfield | 47 | 6,957 |
| St. Joseph | 48 | 6,962 |
| Blue Springs | 49 | 7,055 |
| Poplar Bluff | 50 | 7,105 |
| Moberly | 51 | 7,223 |
| Valley Park | 52 | 7,229 |
| Dellwood | 53 | 7,240 |
| Gladstone | 54 | 7,256 |
| Joplin | 55 | 7,314 |
| Raymore | 56 | 7,349 |
| Battlefield | 57 | 7,363 |
| Excelsior Springs | 58 | 7,367 |
| Shrewsbury | 59 | 7,373 |
| Mexico | 60 | 7,386 |
| Brentwood | 61 | 7,405 |
| Springfield | 62 | 7,460 |
| Oak Grove | 63 | 7,494 |
| Ballwin | 64 | 7,542 |
| Town And Country | 65 | 7,590 |
| Hannibal | 66 | 7,626 |
| Branson | 67 | 7,637 |
| Kirkwood | 68 | 7,707 |
| Lake St. Louis | 69 | 7,730 |
| Webb City | 70 | 7,751 |
| Willard | 71 | 7,787 |
| Liberty | 72 | 7,805 |
| Webster Groves | 73 | 7,830 |
| St. Peters | 74 | 7,904 |
| Farmington | 75 | 7,916 |
| Kirksville | 76 | 7,918 |
| Nixa | 77 | 7,923 |
| Crestwood | 78 | 7,940 |
| Aurora | 79 | 7,991 |
| Ladue | 80 | 8,027 |
| Grain Valley | 81 | 8,029 |
| Parkville | 82 | 8,050 |
| Wentzville | 83 | 8,050 |
| Macon | 84 | 8,057 |
| Warrenton | 85 | 8,063 |
| Pacific | 86 | 8,078 |
| Richmond | 87 | 8,101 |
| Pleasant Hill | 88 | 8,176 |
| Nevada | 89 | 8,182 |
| Greenwood | 90 | 8,187 |
| Wildwood | 91 | 8,198 |
| Dardenne Prairie | 92 | 8,226 |
| Festus | 93 | 8,227 |
| Smithville | 94 | 8,253 |
| Washington | 95 | 8,253 |
| Eureka | 96 | 8,256 |
| Marshfield | 97 | 8,260 |
| Pevely | 98 | 8,273 |
| Maryville | 99 | 8,306 |
| West Plains | 100 | 8,429 |
