The most and least diverse states in America, ranked

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An important tenent of Americana is diversity. 

WalletHub is out with its latest data showing the most and least diverse states in the U.S. 

What they're saying:

"Race and gender are probably the first things that come to mind when people think about diversity, but there’s plenty more that makes this nation diverse," WalleHub analyst Chip Lupo said online. "The most diverse states have above-average variety when it comes to people’s ages, birthplaces, languages, jobs, family structures and more. Moving to a diverse state can be an extremely enriching experience as it exposes you to new ideas and new ways of living."

By the numbers:

According to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2045 the United States will no longer have a single ethnic majority—currently non-Hispanic whites—and will continue to grow more diverse in the years that follow. 

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Signs of this shift are already evident. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, the nation’s diversity index—the likelihood that two randomly selected Americans belong to different racial or ethnic groups—increased from 54.9% to 61.1%.

Still, not all areas of society reflect this breadth of diversity. For instance, only 58 women currently serve as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and approximately 77% of their board members are white, both men and women included.

The most diverse states

Dig deeper:

California

California ranks as the most diverse state in the nation. It leads the country in language diversity: while nearly 56% of residents speak only English at home, about 28% speak Spanish, and close to 10% speak an Asian or Pacific Islander language.

RELATED: California's population grew again in 2024, data shows

The state also holds the second-highest level of racial and ethnic diversity. Nearly 35% of Californians identify as white, about 40% as Hispanic, more than 15% as Asian, and around 5% as Black.

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Texas

Texas comes in as the second-most diverse state.

In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, Texas ranks fifth overall. Roughly 40% of residents are white, another 40% are Hispanic, about 12% are Black, and 5% are Asian.

Texas also ranks highly in other categories, placing third in language diversity—with nearly 35% of households speaking a language other than English—third in religious diversity, and fourth in household size diversity.

New Mexico

New Mexico ranks third among the most diverse states. A distinctive factor is its birthplace diversity, where it ranks 13th: more than 9% of its residents were born outside the United States. 

Additionally, only about 53% of residents were born in New Mexico itself, with many others relocating from the South and West.

The state leads the nation in household diversity, a reflection of its varied housing and demographic patterns. It also ranks fifth in language diversity, as nearly 32% of residents speak a non-English language at home.

In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, New Mexico sits in 10th place. Approximately 37% of the population is white, 48% is Hispanic, 2% is Black, and 2% is Asian.