The 10 Most Diverse Cities In California For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In California

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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 California 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 427 cities in California from most to least diverse.

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

  1. Vallejo
  2. Suisun City
  3. Oakland
  4. Fairfield
  5. Sacramento
  6. Pinole
  7. Elk Grove
  8. Antioch
  9. Loma Linda
  10. San Leandro

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

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where California 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 California For 2021

Vallejo, CA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 121,267

HHI: 2,225
% White: 24.1%
% African American: 19.7%
% Asian: 23.2%
More on Vallejo: PhotosData

Suisun City, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 29,488

HHI: 2,248
% White: 26.0%
% African American: 20.9%
% Asian: 19.6%
More on Suisun City: PhotosData

Oakland, CA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 425,097

HHI: 2,329
% White: 28.3%
% African American: 23.2%
% Asian: 15.3%
More on Oakland: PhotosData

Fairfield, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 115,282

HHI: 2,378
% White: 31.5%
% African American: 14.8%
% Asian: 16.5%
More on Fairfield: PhotosData

Sacramento, CA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 500,930

HHI: 2,420
% White: 32.4%
% African American: 12.7%
% Asian: 18.6%
More on Sacramento: PhotosData

Pinole, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 19,279

HHI: 2,433
% White: 32.7%
% African American: 11.6%
% Asian: 27.1%
More on Pinole: PhotosData

Elk Grove, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 170,825

HHI: 2,469
% White: 34.1%
% African American: 10.9%
% Asian: 28.4%
More on Elk Grove: PhotosData

Antioch, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 111,200

HHI: 2,475
% White: 27.8%
% African American: 21.1%
% Asian: 11.4%
More on Antioch: PhotosData

Loma Linda, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 24,184

HHI: 2,541
% White: 32.3%
% African American: 9.7%
% Asian: 24.3%
More on Loma Linda: PhotosData

San Leandro, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 90,025

HHI: 2,574
% White: 23.2%
% African American: 9.9%
% Asian: 34.5%
More on San Leandro: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in California 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 California.

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 427 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 2,225 (Vallejo) to 9,795 (Parlier).

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

Read on for more information on how the cities in California 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 California

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

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

  1. Parlier
  2. Maywood
  3. Calexico

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In California For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Vallejo, CA 121,267 2,225
2 Suisun City, CA 29,488 2,248
3 Oakland, CA 425,097 2,329
4 Fairfield, CA 115,282 2,378
5 Sacramento, CA 500,930 2,420
6 Pinole, CA 19,279 2,433
7 Elk Grove, CA 170,825 2,469
8 Antioch, CA 111,200 2,475
9 Loma Linda, CA 24,184 2,541
10 San Leandro, CA 90,025 2,574
11 Signal Hill, CA 11,512 2,610
12 Marina, CA 21,981 2,622
13 American Canyon, CA 20,261 2,640
14 Carson, CA 92,079 2,699
15 Hayward, CA 159,293 2,730
16 Gardena, CA 59,709 2,744
17 Richmond, CA 109,884 2,747
18 Lakewood, CA 80,292 2,753
19 Pittsburg, CA 71,422 2,758
20 Eastvale, CA 62,046 2,761
21 San Bruno, CA 43,083 2,774
22 Emeryville, CA 11,899 2,777
23 Stockton, CA 309,228 2,818
24 Hercules, CA 25,616 2,839
25 Pasadena, CA 141,258 2,871
26 Newark, CA 47,171 2,886
27 California City, CA 13,826 2,892
28 San Mateo, CA 104,333 2,899
29 Long Beach, CA 466,776 2,930
30 Chino Hills, CA 80,701 2,931
31 San Jose, CA 1,027,690 2,954
32 Cypress, CA 48,893 2,972
33 Tracy, CA 90,675 2,975
34 Alameda, CA 78,522 2,975
35 Lomita, CA 20,514 2,978
36 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 176,379 2,995
37 Lathrop, CA 22,341 3,008
38 Culver City, CA 39,169 3,020
39 Buena Park, CA 82,489 3,034
40 Torrance, CA 145,492 3,037
41 Lemon Grove, CA 26,802 3,045
42 Fullerton, CA 139,611 3,048
43 Seaside, CA 33,956 3,055
44 Rancho Cordova, CA 73,147 3,059
45 Albany, CA 19,804 3,063
46 San Diego, CA 1,409,573 3,068
47 San Francisco, CA 874,961 3,077
48 Lancaster, CA 159,028 3,078
49 Yuba City, CA 66,516 3,095
50 Barstow, CA 23,899 3,098
51 South Pasadena, CA 25,661 3,115
52 Tustin, CA 79,863 3,124
53 Monrovia, CA 36,816 3,135
54 Oakley, CA 41,324 3,139
55 South San Francisco, CA 67,408 3,140
56 Artesia, CA 16,758 3,158
57 Santa Clara, CA 127,721 3,177
58 West Sacramento, CA 53,151 3,203
59 La Palma, CA 15,604 3,215
60 Brea, CA 42,678 3,227
61 La Mirada, CA 48,764 3,243
62 Los Alamitos, CA 11,534 3,247
63 Mountain View, CA 81,656 3,288
64 Claremont, CA 36,090 3,293
65 Manteca, CA 79,129 3,305
66 El Cerrito, CA 25,398 3,335
67 Vacaville, CA 98,875 3,350
68 Placentia, CA 51,818 3,369
69 Los Angeles, CA 3,966,936 3,370
70 Garden Grove, CA 173,258 3,393
71 Sunnyvale, CA 152,770 3,399
72 Redwood City, CA 85,784 3,412
73 Susanville, CA 15,064 3,417
74 Fresno, CA 525,010 3,421
75 Murrieta, CA 112,941 3,423
76 Duarte, CA 21,559 3,425
77 Beaumont, CA 47,144 3,440
78 Concord, CA 129,183 3,444
79 Corona, CA 166,972 3,450
80 Brentwood, CA 61,961 3,455
81 Chino, CA 89,631 3,464
82 Westminster, CA 91,137 3,466
83 Upland, CA 76,596 3,469
84 Fountain Valley, CA 56,026 3,471
85 Stanton, CA 38,377 3,474
86 Pacifica, CA 38,984 3,475
87 Berkeley, CA 121,485 3,501
88 Union City, CA 74,722 3,512
89 Lemoore, CA 26,107 3,523
90 San Dimas, CA 34,048 3,531
91 Dublin, CA 61,240 3,532
92 Santa Clarita, CA 213,411 3,555
93 Morgan Hill, CA 44,686 3,581
94 Oceanside, CA 175,622 3,588
95 Campbell, CA 42,221 3,589
96 Irvine, CA 273,157 3,592
97 Banning, CA 31,072 3,594
98 San Marcos, CA 95,355 3,602
99 Chowchilla, CA 18,413 3,613
100 Glendora, CA 51,801 3,617

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.