These Are the Least, and Most, Diverse States in the Country

The United States is one big melting pot. But did you know some states are more diverse than others?

Diversity can mean a variety of different things, but in this case, it refers to the population subsets and how they classify in terms of different categories. This study of all 50 states looked at socioeconomic, economic, cultural, household, political, and religious diversity.

According to the results, these are the top 10 most and least diverse in the nation.

10 Most Diverse States

The 10 most diverse states in the country are those that are essentially melting pots of populations varying in different degrees. They tend to trend toward the top 10 ranks in one of the six categories laid out by WalletHub.

Unsurprisingly, many of them are also border states.

1. California

California wins out again this year as the most diverse state, though that’s no surprise. The state is massive, encompassing nearly 164,000 square miles with more than 39 million people living there—the perfect recipe for a melting pot of diversity.

It has an overall diversity score of 70.77, which puts it at the top, and its cultural diversity ranks number one in the country.

2. Texas

Texas is not that far behind California in terms of overall diversity, with a score of 70.48, just 0.29 lower. Texas doesn’t rank first in any of the diversity categories but is fourth in terms of socioeconomic and third in religious diversity.

Texas is on the US-Mexico border and thus, a lot of immigrants find their way to the state. More than 30 million people call the Lone Star State home.

3. Florida

The Sunshine State is home to significantly fewer people, just over 26.5 million, but people from all over the country flock to Florida for retirement or to bask in the year-round sunshine.

Florida is number three on the list of diverse states for this very reason. It has a diversity score of 69.88 and ranks fifth in terms of both cultural and political diversity.

4. New Mexico

New Mexico is a border state with a population of around 2.1 million. It’s much smaller than Texas, Florida, or California, but trends higher in terms of economic and household diversity categories.

Overall, it has a diversity ranking of 69.83, a tiny margin of 0.05 lower than Florida.

5. Hawaii

You might think Hawaii is a bit of a shocking addition to the list, considering it’s in the Pacific and not really an area where immigrants can freely access via land.

However, it lands at numbers three and five regarding cultural and economic diversity, respectively. In politics, it ranks fourth. Its total diversity score is 69.77.

6. Nevada

Nevada is number one and two on the list in terms of household and cultural diversity, respectively. Not bad for a state that’s home to approximately 3.2 million people.

It has an overall diversity score of 69.72, but trends toward the end of the list in the economic and socioeconomic categories.

7. New Jersey

Heading over to the East Coast, New Jersey is number six on the list of most diverse states with a total score of 69.71.

It ranks number four in the cultural diversity category with Italian, Asian, and Latin American influences. More than 9 million people call The Garden State home.

8. New York

New York is one of those states with a giant socioeconomic pot. The population of just about 20 million includes an abundance of people from all walks of life, including the wealthy and those in poverty.

The overall diversity score is 69.62, but New York ranks first and fourth in socioeconomic and household categories, respectively.

9. Maryland

Maryland doesn’t hit any of the top five spots in the six categories but has placed ninth because of its overall score, which clocks in at 69.12.

Approximately 6.2 million people live in Maryland, which is a lot of people for a relatively smaller state compared to the others on this list.

10. Arizona

Arizona rounds out the top 10 most diverse states. It has a population of around 7.4 million, including immigrants given that it’s a border state.

The diversity score for The Grand Canyon State is 69.10, which is just 1.67 lower than the most diverse state in the country.

10 Least Diverse States

The least diverse states are those with pretty much a stable population with similar status throughout all of the six categories WalletHub used to conduct its analysis.

Many of these states are also not border states, except North Dakota which sits on the United States-Canada line.

1. West Virginia

West Virginia is number 50 on the list, which makes it the least diverse state. It placed last in 2023, as well, and not much has changed in a year.

West Virginia’s overall score is 59.72, and it actually ranks last in terms of socioeconomic and cultural diversity.

2. Maine

The most eastern state, Maine, is number 49 in terms of overall diversity with a score of 60.10. It ranks 49th in both cultural and religious categories.

Maine is a pretty vast state, but it has a lot of nature and thus, inhabitable areas. Its population as of 2023 was just 1.36 million.

3. New Hampshire

New Hampshire borders Maine and the population of approximately 1.4 million doesn’t differ much, which has landed it number 48 on the list.

New Hampshire is number 50 on the list in terms of religious diversity and number 47 in cultural and household categories, respectively. Its overall score is 60.42.

4. Vermont

Vermont neighbors New Hampshire with about half of the population. Just around 650,000 people call The Green Mountain State home. Given its landscape of mountains, it’s not unsurprising.

Vermont is number 47 on the list with a diversity score of 61.51. It also ranks 48th in terms of cultural diversity.

5. Montana

Take a journey more toward the West and you’ll find Montana, which is well-known and revered for its gorgeous scenery. Just over 1.1 million people live in the state.

The overall diversity score for Montana is 62.15, but it ranks 45th in both the cultural and religious categories.

6. Kentucky

Kentucky is a state in the Midwest with a population of around 4.5 million. It ranks number 45 on the list of diverse states, with an overall score of 62.63, just 0.48 less than Montana.

The Bluegrass State ranks 45th and 46th in socioeconomic and cultural classes, respectively.

7. Wyoming

Wyoming, like Montana, is revered for its gorgeous landscape. The population, however, is marginally smaller and slightly more diverse with a score of 62.81.

The state ranks 47th in the socioeconomic category and 48th in the household class. It also ranks dead last in political diversity, meaning there’s very little variation in politics in the region.

8. Iowa

Iowa, the 43rd state on the list, is home to an estimated 3.2 million people. The overall diversity score is just a small change from Wyoming’s at 62.88.

Unlike the rest of the states on the list of the least diverse, Iowa doesn’t hit the top 5 in any of the categories, but tends to trend downward. It is, however, surprisingly 6th in terms of political diversity.

9. Utah

Number 42 on the list is Utah with an overall diversity score of 63.27. It pretty much ranks middle of the line in many of the categories, except for household diversity, where it sits in last place.

Utah is also number 48 in terms of religious diversity.

10. North Dakota

North Dakota sits on the US-Canada border and is home to just under 800,000 people. In terms of overall diversity, North Dakota has a score of 63.42.

It’s 46th and 48th in household and political diversity, respectively. It’s also very high on the list of religious diversity, landing at fourth place overall.

This WalletHub analysis of all 50 states looked at socioeconomic, economic, cultural, household, political, and religious diversity.