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 129 cities in Missouri from most to least diverse. Here’s a look at the top ten:
- Grandview (Photos)
- St. Robert
- Olivette
- Kansas City (Photos)
- University City (Photos)
- St. Louis (Photos)
- Hazelwood (Photos)
- Raytown (Photos)
- Charleston (Photos)
- Florissant (Photos)
Grandview 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.
And if you already knew these places were diverse, check out the best places to live in Missouri or the worst places to live in Missouri.
How We Determined The Most Diverse Cities In Missouri For 2018
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 2012-2016 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 129 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 3536 (Grandview) to 9620 (Glendale).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Grandview took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Glendale 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. Grandview
Population: 25,126HHI: 3,536
% White: 43.7%
% African American: 38.48%
% Asian: 0.96%
2. St. Robert
Population: 5,396 HHI: 3,601
% White: 54.41%
% African American: 18.81%
% Asian: 2.24%
3. Olivette
Population: 7,830 HHI: 3,695
% White: 53.46%
% African American: 26.1%
% Asian: 10.04%
4. Kansas City
Population: 471,767HHI: 4,010
% White: 55.36%
% African American: 28.85%
% Asian: 2.51%
5. University City
Population: 35,042HHI: 4,135
% White: 51.93%
% African American: 37.48%
% Asian: 3.52%
6. St. Louis
Population: 316,030HHI: 4,136
% White: 42.74%
% African American: 47.76%
% Asian: 3.03%
7. Hazelwood
Population: 25,604HHI: 4,171
% White: 54.16%
% African American: 34.53%
% Asian: 3.61%
8. Raytown
Population: 29,366HHI: 4,421
% White: 58.71%
% African American: 30.46%
% Asian: 1.22%
9. Charleston
Population: 5,855HHI: 4,539
% White: 43.76%
% African American: 51.14%
% Asian: 0.0%
10. Florissant
Population: 52,218HHI: 4,587
% White: 58.94%
% African American: 32.99%
% Asian: 1.0%
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:
- Glendale
- Dexter
- Weldon Spring
For more Missouri reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Missouri
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Missouri
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In Missouri
Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Missouri
| City | Rank | HHI |
|---|---|---|
| Grandview | 1 | 3,536 |
| St. Robert | 2 | 3,601 |
| Olivette | 3 | 3,695 |
| Kansas City | 4 | 4,010 |
| University City | 5 | 4,135 |
| St. Louis | 6 | 4,136 |
| Hazelwood | 7 | 4,171 |
| Raytown | 8 | 4,421 |
| Charleston | 9 | 4,539 |
| Florissant | 10 | 4,587 |
| Bridgeton | 11 | 4,623 |
| St. Ann | 12 | 4,703 |
| Maryland Heights | 13 | 4,803 |
| Overland | 14 | 4,824 |
| St. John | 15 | 4,866 |
| Carthage | 16 | 4,913 |
| Ferguson | 17 | 5,195 |
| Caruthersville | 18 | 5,283 |
| Waynesville | 19 | 5,409 |
| Sikeston | 20 | 5,479 |
| Marshall | 21 | 5,631 |
| Clayton | 22 | 5,643 |
| Jefferson City | 23 | 5,706 |
| Creve Coeur | 24 | 5,755 |
| Monett | 25 | 5,797 |
| Columbia | 26 | 5,957 |
| Cameron | 27 | 6,030 |
| Kennett | 28 | 6,103 |
| Maplewood | 29 | 6,120 |
| Bowling Green | 30 | 6,129 |
| Richmond Heights | 31 | 6,194 |
| Bellefontaine Neighbors | 32 | 6,232 |
| Bonne Terre | 33 | 6,287 |
| Independence | 34 | 6,372 |
| Cape Girardeau | 35 | 6,548 |
| Neosho | 36 | 6,568 |
| Sedalia | 37 | 6,607 |
| Berkeley | 38 | 6,646 |
| Black Jack | 39 | 6,707 |
| Warrensburg | 40 | 6,727 |
| Boonville | 41 | 6,728 |
| Manchester | 42 | 6,770 |
| Chesterfield | 43 | 6,770 |
| Lee’S Summit | 44 | 6,784 |
| Belton | 45 | 6,846 |
| St. Charles | 46 | 6,846 |
| Poplar Bluff | 47 | 6,874 |
| Blue Springs | 48 | 6,882 |
| Rolla | 49 | 6,910 |
| St. Joseph | 50 | 6,945 |
| Fulton | 51 | 6,989 |
| Gladstone | 52 | 7,147 |
| Branson | 53 | 7,238 |
| Dellwood | 54 | 7,238 |
| Raymore | 55 | 7,270 |
| Moberly | 56 | 7,363 |
| Joplin | 57 | 7,377 |
| Springfield | 58 | 7,383 |
| Battlefield | 59 | 7,405 |
| Mexico | 60 | 7,458 |
| Valley Park | 61 | 7,464 |
| Ballwin | 62 | 7,473 |
| Greenwood | 63 | 7,594 |
| Grain Valley | 64 | 7,606 |
| Excelsior Springs | 65 | 7,621 |
| Ladue | 66 | 7,630 |
| Webster Groves | 67 | 7,652 |
| Brentwood | 68 | 7,692 |
| Shrewsbury | 69 | 7,709 |
| Hannibal | 70 | 7,715 |
| St. Peters | 71 | 7,761 |
| Kirkwood | 72 | 7,771 |
| Warrenton | 73 | 7,771 |
| O’Fallon | 74 | 7,775 |
| Richmond | 75 | 7,811 |
| Liberty | 76 | 7,846 |
| Macon | 77 | 7,856 |
| Kirksville | 78 | 7,859 |
| Farmington | 79 | 7,869 |
| Lake St. Louis | 80 | 7,870 |
| Eureka | 81 | 7,885 |
| Pevely | 82 | 7,928 |
| Webb City | 83 | 7,933 |
| Dardenne Prairie | 84 | 7,936 |
| Aurora | 85 | 8,005 |
| Town And Country | 86 | 8,006 |
| Pacific | 87 | 8,036 |
| Wildwood | 88 | 8,041 |
| Pleasant Hill | 89 | 8,114 |
| Jennings | 90 | 8,122 |
| Harrisonville | 91 | 8,126 |
| Nixa | 92 | 8,132 |
| Wentzville | 93 | 8,188 |
| Ellisville | 94 | 8,201 |
| Oak Grove | 95 | 8,223 |
| Smithville | 96 | 8,239 |
| Festus | 97 | 8,262 |
| Nevada | 98 | 8,289 |
| Chillicothe | 99 | 8,312 |
| Maryville | 100 | 8,312 |
