The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Kentucky For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In Kentucky

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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 Kentucky 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 78 cities in Kentucky from most to least diverse.

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

  1. Oak Grove
  2. Radcliff
  3. Shively
  4. Hopkinsville
  5. Louisville
  6. Shelbyville
  7. Bowling Green
  8. Mayfield
  9. Lexington
  10. Jeffersontown

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

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

Oak Grove, KY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,338

HHI: 3,847
% White: 55.0%
% African American: 24.1%
% Asian: 1.0%
More on Oak Grove: PhotosData

Radcliff, KY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 22,639

HHI: 3,905
% White: 54.9%
% African American: 28.2%
% Asian: 3.0%
More on Radcliff: PhotosData

Shively, KY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 15,726

HHI: 4,427
% White: 37.7%
% African American: 54.6%
% Asian: 0.4%
More on Shively: PhotosData

Hopkinsville, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 31,056

HHI: 4,707
% White: 60.9%
% African American: 31.2%
% Asian: 1.5%
More on Hopkinsville: PhotosData

Louisville, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 617,790

HHI: 4,888
% White: 65.6%
% African American: 23.3%
% Asian: 2.7%
More on Louisville: PhotosData

Shelbyville, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,009

HHI: 5,046
% White: 68.0%
% African American: 12.6%
% Asian: 1.5%
More on Shelbyville: PhotosData

Bowling Green, KY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 67,600

HHI: 5,212
% White: 70.4%
% African American: 12.7%
% Asian: 4.9%
More on Bowling Green: PhotosData

Mayfield, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 9,867

HHI: 5,296
% White: 70.2%
% African American: 12.0%
% Asian: 0.8%
More on Mayfield: PhotosData

Lexington, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 320,601

HHI: 5,325
% White: 71.0%
% African American: 14.5%
% Asian: 3.7%
More on Lexington: PhotosData

Jeffersontown, KY

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 28,035

HHI: 5,519
% White: 72.7%
% African American: 12.6%
% Asian: 6.0%
More on Jeffersontown: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Kentucky 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 Kentucky.

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 78 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 3,847 (Oak Grove) to 9,523 (Cold Spring).

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

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

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

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

  1. Cold Spring
  2. Villa Hills
  3. Alexandria

For more Kentucky reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Kentucky For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Oak Grove, KY 7,338 3,847
2 Radcliff, KY 22,639 3,905
3 Shively, KY 15,726 4,427
4 Hopkinsville, KY 31,056 4,707
5 Louisville, KY 617,790 4,888
6 Shelbyville, KY 16,009 5,046
7 Bowling Green, KY 67,600 5,212
8 Mayfield, KY 9,867 5,296
9 Lexington, KY 320,601 5,325
10 Jeffersontown, KY 28,035 5,519
11 Elizabethtown, KY 29,620 5,547
12 Paducah, KY 24,894 5,588
13 Lebanon, KY 5,644 5,640
14 Vine Grove, KY 6,106 5,650
15 Frankfort, KY 27,680 5,723
16 Lyndon, KY 11,431 5,792
17 Middletown, KY 7,891 5,989
18 Versailles, KY 9,215 6,214
19 Franklin, KY 8,835 6,246
20 Covington, KY 40,548 6,304
21 Douglass Hills, KY 5,710 6,320
22 Russellville, KY 7,039 6,420
23 Danville, KY 16,730 6,422
24 Madisonville, KY 18,936 6,571
25 Glasgow, KY 14,393 6,721
26 Bardstown, KY 13,094 6,724
27 Henderson, KY 28,625 6,783
28 La Grange, KY 8,854 6,809
29 St. Matthews, KY 18,161 6,821
30 Newport, KY 15,123 6,911
31 Maysville, KY 8,782 6,971
32 Owensboro, KY 59,536 6,993
33 Campbellsville, KY 11,419 7,024
34 Princeton, KY 6,116 7,025
35 Monticello, KY 6,070 7,045
36 Paris, KY 9,817 7,115
37 Georgetown, KY 33,605 7,147
38 Wilmore, KY 6,335 7,187
39 Murray, KY 19,171 7,338
40 Florence, KY 32,369 7,363
41 Harrodsburg, KY 8,418 7,376
42 Richmond, KY 35,133 7,391
43 Elsmere, KY 8,567 7,394
44 Central City, KY 5,808 7,434
45 Winchester, KY 18,429 7,507
46 Nicholasville, KY 30,301 7,634
47 Cynthiana, KY 6,312 7,659
48 Berea, KY 15,474 7,737
49 Erlanger, KY 18,967 7,766
50 Somerset, KY 11,447 7,817
51 Highland Heights, KY 7,149 7,863
52 Middlesborough, KY 9,395 7,992
53 Fort Mitchell, KY 8,257 7,996
54 Union, KY 5,910 8,069
55 Morehead, KY 7,653 8,072
56 Mount Sterling, KY 7,166 8,079
57 Williamsburg, KY 5,260 8,099
58 Hazard, KY 5,046 8,136
59 Hillview, KY 9,071 8,279
60 Pikeville, KY 6,810 8,421
61 Leitchfield, KY 6,807 8,428
62 Taylor Mill, KY 6,763 8,447
63 Shepherdsville, KY 12,218 8,491
64 Fort Wright, KY 5,745 8,494
65 Lawrenceburg, KY 11,350 8,545
66 London, KY 8,059 8,558
67 Ashland, KY 20,626 8,566
68 Dayton, KY 5,496 8,632
69 Fort Thomas, KY 16,308 8,706
70 Independence, KY 27,683 8,740
71 Mount Washington, KY 14,567 8,862
72 Bellevue, KY 5,804 8,868
73 Corbin, KY 7,325 8,926
74 Flatwoods, KY 7,160 8,987
75 Edgewood, KY 8,745 8,997
76 Alexandria, KY 9,425 9,424
77 Villa Hills, KY 7,449 9,508
78 Cold Spring, KY 6,401 9,523

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.