The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Indiana For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In Indiana

Article continues below.

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 Indiana 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 117 cities in Indiana from most to least diverse.

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

  1. Hammond
  2. Merrillville
  3. South Bend
  4. Lawrence
  5. Indianapolis
  6. Elkhart
  7. Speedway
  8. Michigan City
  9. East Chicago
  10. Lake Station

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

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

Hammond, IN

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 76,547

HHI: 3,289
% White: 36.8%
% African American: 22.0%
% Asian: 1.1%
More on Hammond: PhotosData

Merrillville, IN

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 34,889

HHI: 3,381
% White: 36.6%
% African American: 42.0%
% Asian: 1.2%
More on Merrillville: PhotosData

South Bend, IN

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 102,037

HHI: 3,692
% White: 52.4%
% African American: 26.2%
% Asian: 1.4%
More on South Bend: PhotosData

Lawrence, IN

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 48,699

HHI: 3,874
% White: 54.6%
% African American: 26.7%
% Asian: 1.2%
More on Lawrence: PhotosData

Indianapolis, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 864,447

HHI: 3,894
% White: 54.5%
% African American: 28.2%
% Asian: 3.4%
More on Indianapolis: PhotosData

Elkhart, IN

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 52,257

HHI: 3,947
% White: 55.3%
% African American: 14.6%
% Asian: 0.8%
More on Elkhart: PhotosData

Speedway, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 12,266

HHI: 4,016
% White: 55.9%
% African American: 28.0%
% Asian: 2.5%
More on Speedway: PhotosData

Michigan City, IN

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 31,118

HHI: 4,384
% White: 58.9%
% African American: 29.2%
% Asian: 0.8%
More on Michigan City: PhotosData

East Chicago, IN

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 28,201

HHI: 4,597
% White: 6.7%
% African American: 34.9%
% Asian: 0.1%
More on East Chicago: PhotosData

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 12,002

HHI: 4,683
% White: 61.7%
% African American: 5.4%
% Asian: 0.4%
More on Lake Station: Data

How we determined the most diverse cities in Indiana 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 Indiana.

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 117 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 3,289 (Hammond) to 9,546 (Rochester).

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

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

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

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

  1. Rochester
  2. Bargersville
  3. Auburn

For more Indiana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Indiana For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Hammond, IN 76,547 3,289
2 Merrillville, IN 34,889 3,381
3 South Bend, IN 102,037 3,692
4 Lawrence, IN 48,699 3,874
5 Indianapolis, IN 864,447 3,894
6 Elkhart, IN 52,257 3,947
7 Speedway, IN 12,266 4,016
8 Michigan City, IN 31,118 4,384
9 East Chicago, IN 28,201 4,597
10 Lake Station, IN 12,002 4,683
11 Griffith, IN 16,228 4,798
12 Fort Wayne, IN 265,752 4,833
13 West Lafayette, IN 48,551 4,844
14 Goshen, IN 34,108 5,084
15 Logansport, IN 17,966 5,152
16 Huntingburg, IN 6,522 5,171
17 Portage, IN 36,648 5,173
18 Westville, IN 5,848 5,196
19 Frankfort, IN 15,634 5,625
20 Plymouth, IN 10,054 5,639
21 Hobart, IN 28,049 5,781
22 Lafayette, IN 72,581 5,797
23 Anderson, IN 54,513 5,854
24 Marion, IN 27,956 5,859
25 Jeffersonville, IN 47,673 5,903
26 Highland, IN 22,581 5,915
27 Schererville, IN 28,590 5,949
28 Columbus, IN 48,150 5,963
29 Whitestown, IN 8,312 6,005
30 Warsaw, IN 15,458 6,094
31 Munster, IN 22,689 6,225
32 Bloomington, IN 84,116 6,281
33 Gary, IN 76,010 6,294
34 Dyer, IN 15,953 6,354
35 Seymour, IN 19,623 6,366
36 Evansville, IN 118,588 6,436
37 Plainfield, IN 32,879 6,452
38 Mishawaka, IN 49,245 6,454
39 Carmel, IN 97,464 6,579
40 Richmond, IN 35,539 6,641
41 Mccordsville, IN 6,857 6,645
42 Avon, IN 17,453 6,651
43 Terre Haute, IN 60,673 6,651
44 Crown Point, IN 29,850 6,660
45 Muncie, IN 68,750 6,679
46 Washington, IN 12,412 6,680
47 Kokomo, IN 58,145 6,710
48 La Porte, IN 21,577 6,733
49 Clarksville, IN 21,548 6,745
50 Winfield, IN 5,705 6,750
51 Greenwood, IN 57,764 6,792
52 New Albany, IN 36,647 6,813
53 Cumberland, IN 5,718 7,078
54 Nappanee, IN 7,033 7,175
55 St. John, IN 17,426 7,183
56 Peru, IN 11,584 7,249
57 Sellersburg, IN 9,066 7,258
58 Beech Grove, IN 14,990 7,292
59 Westfield, IN 39,610 7,325
60 Monticello, IN 5,262 7,332
61 Chesterton, IN 14,119 7,415
62 Valparaiso, IN 33,355 7,431
63 Brownsburg, IN 26,046 7,478
64 Crawfordsville, IN 16,090 7,517
65 Noblesville, IN 63,071 7,577
66 Shelbyville, IN 18,951 7,586
67 Madison, IN 11,813 7,668
68 Danville, IN 9,923 7,716
69 Greencastle, IN 10,296 7,761
70 Vincennes, IN 17,304 7,838
71 Princeton, IN 8,684 7,839
72 Batesville, IN 6,651 7,855
73 New Whiteland, IN 6,051 7,862
74 North Manchester, IN 5,710 7,976
75 Zionsville, IN 27,463 7,979
76 Portland, IN 5,886 7,994
77 Mount Vernon, IN 6,584 8,023
78 Charlestown, IN 8,199 8,035
79 Angola, IN 8,660 8,044
80 North Vernon, IN 6,735 8,123
81 Gas City, IN 5,802 8,184
82 Kendallville, IN 9,347 8,254
83 Lowell, IN 9,659 8,298
84 Decatur, IN 9,863 8,348
85 Rensselaer, IN 6,324 8,353
86 Jasper, IN 15,827 8,391
87 Hunte, IN 6,789 8,406
88 Rushville, IN 6,050 8,408
89 Scottsburg, IN 6,702 8,432
90 New Haven, IN 16,279 8,456
91 Greensburg, IN 11,228 8,559
92 Boonville, IN 6,292 8,561
93 Garrett, IN 6,651 8,609
94 Linton, IN 5,244 8,687
95 Bedford, IN 13,272 8,720
96 Bluffton, IN 9,919 8,721
97 Elwood, IN 8,441 8,725
98 Franklin, IN 25,106 8,734
99 Connersville, IN 13,165 8,753
100 Martinsville, IN 11,635 8,792

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.