The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Kansas For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In Kansas

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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 Kansas 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 61 cities in Kansas from most to least diverse.

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

  1. Kansas City
  2. Junction City
  3. Garden City
  4. Wichita
  5. Liberal
  6. Emporia
  7. Dodge City
  8. Lansing
  9. Ulysses
  10. Topeka

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

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

Kansas City, KS

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 152,522

HHI: 2,922
% White: 38.1%
% African American: 22.8%
% Asian: 4.9%
More on Kansas City: PhotosData

Junction City, KS

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 23,104

HHI: 3,577
% White: 53.9%
% African American: 20.6%
% Asian: 3.3%
More on Junction City: PhotosData

Garden City, KS

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 26,647

HHI: 4,101
% White: 38.5%
% African American: 3.7%
% Asian: 5.3%
More on Garden City: PhotosData

Wichita, KS

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 389,877

HHI: 4,385
% White: 62.8%
% African American: 10.6%
% Asian: 5.0%
More on Wichita: PhotosData

Liberal, KS

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 19,731

HHI: 4,722
% White: 27.7%
% African American: 5.1%
% Asian: 2.9%
More on Liberal: PhotosData

Emporia, KS

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 24,607

HHI: 4,856
% White: 64.0%
% African American: 3.0%
% Asian: 2.6%
More on Emporia: PhotosData

Dodge City, KS

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 27,555

HHI: 4,886
% White: 32.1%
% African American: 2.3%
% Asian: 1.7%
More on Dodge City: PhotosData

Lansing, KS

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 11,900

HHI: 4,949
% White: 68.3%
% African American: 11.4%
% Asian: 3.2%
More on Lansing: PhotosData

Ulysses, KS

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,712

HHI: 4,959
% White: 49.2%
% African American: 0.1%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Ulysses: PhotosData

Topeka, KS

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 126,397

HHI: 4,974
% White: 67.9%
% African American: 10.2%
% Asian: 1.8%
More on Topeka: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Kansas 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 Kansas.

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 61 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 2,922 (Kansas City) to 8,939 (Tonganoxie).

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

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

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

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

  1. Tonganoxie
  2. Prairie Village
  3. Mulvane

For more Kansas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Kansas For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Kansas City, KS 152,522 2,922
2 Junction City, KS 23,104 3,577
3 Garden City, KS 26,647 4,101
4 Wichita, KS 389,877 4,385
5 Liberal, KS 19,731 4,722
6 Emporia, KS 24,607 4,856
7 Dodge City, KS 27,555 4,886
8 Lansing, KS 11,900 4,949
9 Ulysses, KS 5,712 4,959
10 Topeka, KS 126,397 4,974
11 Coffeyville, KS 9,457 5,031
12 Arkansas City, KS 11,868 5,199
13 Leavenworth, KS 36,064 5,232
14 Park City, KS 8,138 5,278
15 Bel Aire, KS 7,858 5,780
16 Lawrence, KS 96,369 5,833
17 Olathe, KS 137,618 5,840
18 Great Bend, KS 15,358 5,915
19 Manhattan, KS 55,290 6,039
20 Independence, KS 8,698 6,052
21 Overland Park, KS 191,011 6,150
22 Newton, KS 18,877 6,182
23 Mission, KS 9,523 6,250
24 Salina, KS 46,998 6,278
25 Merriam, KS 11,185 6,349
26 Winfield, KS 12,085 6,360
27 Lenexa, KS 54,011 6,368
28 Pittsburg, KS 20,171 6,417
29 Hutchinson, KS 40,914 6,430
30 Bonner Springs, KS 7,782 6,453
31 Parsons, KS 9,736 6,457
32 Roeland Park, KS 6,769 6,597
33 Shawnee, KS 65,540 6,740
34 Andover, KS 13,062 6,787
35 Gardner, KS 21,528 6,946
36 Eudora, KS 6,602 6,969
37 De Soto, KS 6,254 7,117
38 Wellington, KS 7,788 7,220
39 Atchison, KS 10,598 7,272
40 Derby, KS 24,067 7,311
41 Iola, KS 5,351 7,485
42 Haysville, KS 11,132 7,490
43 Fort Scott, KS 7,742 7,641
44 Pratt, KS 6,703 7,656
45 Spring Hill, KS 6,626 7,709
46 Paola, KS 5,611 7,715
47 Hays, KS 20,899 7,771
48 Ottawa, KS 12,260 7,825
49 Augusta, KS 9,368 7,854
50 Concordia, KS 5,070 7,876
51 Mcpherson, KS 13,054 7,939
52 Chanute, KS 9,102 7,968
53 Colby, KS 5,473 8,065
54 Valley Center, KS 7,176 8,084
55 Abilene, KS 6,362 8,294
56 Leawood, KS 34,670 8,317
57 El Dorado, KS 12,988 8,474
58 Basehor, KS 5,951 8,566
59 Mulvane, KS 6,045 8,689
60 Prairie Village, KS 22,170 8,692
61 Tonganoxie, KS 5,359 8,939

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.