Silver Spring has once again secured its position as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, based on a recent report by the personal finance website WalletHub.
The report, released last week, ranks Silver Spring at #4 in terms of ethnic diversity, with Germantown following closely at #3, and Gaithersburg taking the lead at #1.
🎉 Did you hear? Gaithersburg, Germantown, & Silver Spring are in the top five of WalletHub's Most Diverse Cities 2024! A cultural kaleidoscope right in our backyard. 🤝 https://t.co/QPIUoD0Ud6
— Montgomery County MD (@MontgomeryCoMD) February 23, 2024
WalletHub describes the U.S. as a melting pot of cultures, attributing this to the ongoing increase in ethnic and racial diversification. The report suggests that if this trend continues, America will reach unprecedented levels of diversity by 2045. By that point, no single ethnic group is projected to make up the majority of the U.S. population for the first time in history.
Despite these demographic shifts, the landscape of ethnic diversity in the U.S. remains subject to potential change, particularly in light of ongoing debates surrounding immigration reform. With discussions on racial and ethnic equality taking center stage in recent years, WalletHub analyzed America’s current cultural makeup. This study compared over 500 of the largest U.S. cities across three key indicators of ethnic diversity, focusing on factors such as residents’ ethnicity and race, language usage, and birthplace.
“People who live in ethnically diverse cities have the opportunity to experience new cultures, languages, foods and viewpoints, allowing them to learn more about the world,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said. “People who grow up in diverse cities also are less likely to develop prejudiced views of people who are different from them. In addition, cities benefit from the unique skill sets that people of different cultures and national origins bring to the table.”
To identify the most ethnically diverse places in America, WalletHub analyzed 501 of the largest U.S. cities using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The study focused on three main factors: Ethnoracial Diversity, Linguistic Diversity, and Birthplace Diversity. Each city’s performance in these metrics was rated on a 100-point scale, with a higher score indicating greater diversity.
The research calculated each city’s “Ethnic Diversity Score” by averaging its scores across all three metrics. This score was then used to rank the cities in terms of diversity. It’s important to note that the analysis only considered the population within the city proper, excluding surrounding metropolitan areas.
The cities were divided into categories based on population size:
- Large city: More than 300,000 people
- Midsize city: 100,000 to 300,000 people
- Small city: Fewer than 100,000 people
The study utilized the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index method, a well-recognized measure of market concentration that also serves as an effective tool for assessing diversity. This approach provided a comprehensive evaluation of diversity across the cities analyzed.
The report is available for viewing on the WalletHub website.
Graphic: © Balint Radu – stock.adobe.com