How diverse is California really? Here’s where the state ranked in a new study

California is the No. 1 state for diversity in the nation, according to WalletHub.

The personal finance website ranked the Most and Least Diverse States in America in 2024 based on cultural diversity, economic diversity and other factors.

The Golden State topped the list with a total score of 70.77 points out of 100.

Texas was No. 2 with 70.48 points and Florida rounded the top three with 69.88 points.

“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.” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in a Tuesday, Sept. 17 article. “The most diverse states have above-average variety when it comes to people’s ages, birthplaces, languages, jobs, family structures and more.”

Why is California No. 1 for diversity?

California is the most diverse state in the nation, according to WalletHub.

That “isn’t too surprising given that it’s one of our border states and it has the largest population in the country,” the site said.

According to the WalletHub study, one factor that makes California diverse is the languages people speak.

About 56% of California residents speak only English at home, the study found, while 28% also speak Spanish and nearly 10% speak Asian or Pacific Islander languages.

California had the second highest diversity among racial and ethnic groups, WalletHub said, trailing behind Hawaii.

About 35% of Californians are white, the study said, while nearly 40% are Hispanic, nearly 15% are Asian and around 5% are Black.

How do demographics break down?

According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau , California leads the nation when it comes to certain demographics.

The Golden State had the largest numeric increase in Hispanic residents in the nation between 2022 and 2023, Census data show, when the state’s Hispanic population increased by 83,306 people.

Los Angeles County also had the largest Hispanic population of any city in the United States with 4,695,902 Hispanic residents in 2023, according to Census data.

California was home to the three U.S. counties with the largest Asian populations in 2023, the Census Bureau said.

Los Angeles County had a population of 1,486,649 Asian residents, while Santa Clara County had 773,113 people and Orange County had 725,781 people.

California also had the largest Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population in the United States — 146,588 people in 2023 — as indicated by Census data.

According to the WalletHub study, California also had the second-most diversity in educational attainment, the second-most household size diversity and the fourth-most industry diversity.”

“Moving to a diverse state can be an extremely enriching experience as it exposes you to new ideas and new ways of living,” Lupo said.

Where are the most diverse states in the US?

These are the top 10 most diverse states in the United States, according to WalletHub:

1. California
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. New Mexico
5. Hawaii
6. Nevada
7. New Jersey
8. New York
9. Maryland
10. Arizona

What are the least diverse states in the nation?

These are the top 10 least diverse states in the United States, according to WalletHub:

1. West Virginia
2. Maine
3. New Hampshire
4. Vermont
5. Montana
6. Kentucky
7. Wyoming
8. Iowa
9. Utah
10. North Dakota

How did WalletHub come up with its rankings?

WalletHub compared all 50 states in the United States based on six dimensions

• Socio-economic diversity
• Cultural diversity
• Economic diversity
• Household diversity
• Religious diversity
• Political diversity

Those dimensions were then evaluated using 14 metrics, including:

• Racial and ethnic diversity
  
  
• Linguistic diversity
• Occupational diversity
• Religious diversity
• Political diversiry

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “the most diverse state. ” the site said. WalletHub then calculated the overall score for each state to complete its rankings.

The data used to create this ranking from the U.S. Census Bureau on Aug. 20, 2024, the study said.