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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 Idaho 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 33 cities in Idaho from most to least diverse.
So what city is the most diverse in Idaho? According to the most Census data, Caldwell took the number one over all spot for diversity in Idaho.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where Idaho 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 Idaho For 2021
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How we determined the most diverse cities in Idaho 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 Idaho.
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
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 33 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 4,735 (Caldwell) to 8,923 (Hayden).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Caldwell took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Hayden was the least diverse city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Idaho 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 Idaho
If you're looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Idaho, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least diverse places in Idaho:
- Hayden
- Lewiston
- Post Falls
For more Idaho reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Idaho
- Cheapest Places To Live In Idaho
- Most Dangerous Cities In Idaho
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Idaho
- Safest Places In Idaho
- Worst Places To Live In Idaho
Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Idaho For 2021
| Rank | City | HHI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caldwell, ID | 4,735 |
| 2 | Burley, ID | 4,817 |
| 3 | Rupert, ID | 4,837 |
| 4 | Jerome, ID | 5,061 |
| 5 | Weiser, ID | 5,298 |
| 6 | Hailey, ID | 5,415 |
| 7 | Nampa, ID | 5,526 |
| 8 | Mountain Home, ID | 5,791 |
| 9 | Blackfoot, ID | 5,994 |
| 10 | Fruitland, ID | 6,110 |
| 11 | Payette, ID | 6,122 |
| 12 | Twin Falls, ID | 6,273 |
| 13 | Emmett, ID | 6,385 |
| 14 | Idaho Falls, ID | 6,685 |
| 15 | Boise City, ID | 7,017 |
| 16 | Pocatello, ID | 7,055 |
| 17 | Chubbuck, ID | 7,078 |
| 18 | Kuna, ID | 7,264 |
| 19 | Preston, ID | 7,302 |
| 20 | Meridian, ID | 7,465 |
| 21 | Rexburg, ID | 7,531 |
| 22 | Moscow, ID | 7,589 |
| 23 | Garden City, ID | 7,687 |
| 24 | Star, ID | 7,767 |
| 25 | Ammon, ID | 7,770 |
| 26 | Coeur D'alene, ID | 7,876 |
| 27 | Eagle, ID | 7,937 |
| 28 | Middleton, ID | 8,084 |
| 29 | Sandpoint, ID | 8,195 |
| 30 | Rathdrum, ID | 8,201 |
| 31 | Post Falls, ID | 8,287 |
| 32 | Lewiston, ID | 8,367 |
| 33 | Hayden, ID | 8,923 |
