The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Alaska For 2021


We used data and science to determine the most diverse cities in Alaska.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the most diverse places in Alaska.


Most Diverse Cities In Alaska

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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 Alaska 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 11 cities in Alaska from most to least diverse.

Here are the 10 most diverse places in Alaska for 2021:

  1. Kodiak
  2. Ketchikan
  3. Anchorage
  4. Fairbanks
  5. Sitka
  6. Juneau
  7. Bethel
  8. Palmer
  9. Kenai
  10. Wasilla

So what city is the most diverse in Alaska? According to the most Census data, Kodiak took the number one over all spot for diversity in Alaska.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Alaska 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 10 Most Diverse Places In Alaska For 2021

Kodiak, AK

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,022

HHI: 3,312
% White: 38.4%
% African American: 0.2%
% Asian: 41.2%
More on Kodiak: PhotosData

Ketchikan, AK

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,228

HHI: 3,534
% White: 54.9%
% African American: 0.9%
% Asian: 12.5%
More on Ketchikan: PhotosData

Anchorage, AK

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 293,531

HHI: 3,679
% White: 57.9%
% African American: 5.3%
% Asian: 9.4%
More on Anchorage: PhotosData

Fairbanks, AK

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 31,551

HHI: 3,941
% White: 60.2%
% African American: 8.2%
% Asian: 4.3%
More on Fairbanks: PhotosData

Sitka, AK

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,640

HHI: 4,169
% White: 61.6%
% African American: 0.7%
% Asian: 6.7%
More on Sitka: PhotosData

Juneau, AK

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 32,227

HHI: 4,474
% White: 64.7%
% African American: 1.0%
% Asian: 6.5%
More on Juneau: PhotosData

Bethel, AK

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,472

HHI: 4,508
% White: 20.8%
% African American: 1.8%
% Asian: 2.9%
More on Bethel: PhotosData

Palmer, AK

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,131

HHI: 5,278
% White: 71.3%
% African American: 3.0%
% Asian: 1.2%
More on Palmer: PhotosData

Kenai, AK

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 7,742

HHI: 5,360
% White: 71.7%
% African American: 0.4%
% Asian: 2.7%
More on Kenai: PhotosData

Wasilla, AK

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,071

HHI: 6,022
% White: 76.8%
% African American: 1.2%
% Asian: 3.4%
More on Wasilla: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Alaska for 2021

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 Alaska.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2015-2019 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
* Not hispanic or latino

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 11 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 3,312 (Kodiak) to 7,105 (Homer).

Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Kodiak took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Homer was the least diverse city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Alaska 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.

There You Have It - Diversity Across Alaska

If you're looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Alaska, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Alaska:

  1. Homer
  2. Wasilla
  3. Kenai

For more Alaska reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Alaska For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Kodiak, AK 6,022 3,312
2 Ketchikan, AK 8,228 3,534
3 Anchorage, AK 293,531 3,679
4 Fairbanks, AK 31,551 3,941
5 Sitka, AK 8,640 4,169
6 Juneau, AK 32,227 4,474
7 Bethel, AK 6,472 4,508
8 Palmer, AK 7,131 5,278
9 Kenai, AK 7,742 5,360
10 Wasilla, AK 10,071 6,022
11 Homer, AK 5,709 7,105

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.