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 Arkansas 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 64 cities in Arkansas from most to least diverse.
Here are the 10 most diverse places in Arkansas for 2023:
So what city is the most diverse in Arkansas? According to the most Census data, Warren took the number one over all spot for diversity in Arkansas.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Arkansas ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.
For more Arkansas reading:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Most Diverse Places In Arkansas For 2023
/10
Population: 5,485
HHI: 3,299
% White: 33.3%
% African American: 42.1%
% Asian: 0.2%
More on Warren: Data
/10
Population: 85,887
HHI: 3,402
% White: 42.2%
% African American: 2.8%
% Asian: 2.7%
More on Springdale: Data
/10
Population: 9,010
HHI: 3,547
% White: 36.5%
% African American: 43.7%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Hope: Data
/10
Population: 5,612
HHI: 3,772
% White: 54.1%
% African American: 0.2%
% Asian: 2.7%
More on Berryville: Data
/10
Population: 201,893
HHI: 3,800
% White: 45.1%
% African American: 41.2%
% Asian: 3.0%
More on Little Rock: Data
/10
Population: 16,944
HHI: 3,988
% White: 58.4%
% African American: 1.1%
% Asian: 3.2%
More on Siloam Springs: Data
/10
Population: 29,385
HHI: 3,997
% White: 44.0%
% African American: 44.8%
% Asian: 0.9%
More on Jacksonville: Data
/10
Population: 64,444
HHI: 3,998
% White: 45.2%
% African American: 43.6%
% Asian: 1.2%
More on North Little Rock: Data
/10
Population: 13,624
HHI: 4,018
% White: 53.0%
% African American: 33.7%
% Asian: 1.6%
More on Marion: Data
/10
Population: 89,116
HHI: 4,035
% White: 59.3%
% African American: 8.3%
% Asian: 5.7%
More on Fort Smith: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in Arkansas for 2023
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census — and Saturday Night Science. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Arkansas.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2017-2021 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
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 64 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 3,299 (Warren) to 9,012 (Heber Springs).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI, with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Warren took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Heber Springs was the least diverse city.
We updated this article for 2023. This report is our tenth time ranking the most diverse places in Arkansas.
Summary: Diversity Across Arkansas
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Arkansas, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Arkansas:
- Heber Springs
- Walnut Ridge
- Mena
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Arkansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas
- Most Dangerous Places in Arkansas
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Arkansas
- Safest Places In Arkansas
- Worst Places To Live In Arkansas
