The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Louisiana For 2021


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

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
December 21, 2020
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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the most diverse places in Louisiana.


Most Diverse Cities In Louisiana

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 Louisiana 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 62 cities in Louisiana from most to least diverse.

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

  1. Kenner
  2. Gretna
  3. Oakdale
  4. Leesville
  5. Marksville
  6. Gonzales
  7. Patterson
  8. DeRidder
  9. Abbeville
  10. Westwego

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

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

1. KennerKenner Location In Louisiana

Kenner, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Infrogmation of New Orlea | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 66,777

HHI: 3,277
% White: 45.4%
% African American: 23.4%
% Asian: 3.7%
More on Kenner: Photos | Data

2. GretnaGretna Location In Louisiana

Gretna, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Infrogmation | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 17,774

HHI: 3,535
% White: 44.9%
% African American: 35.5%
% Asian: 1.9%
More on Gretna: Photos | Data

3. OakdaleOakdale Location In Louisiana

Oakdale, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Hot Furnace | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,607

HHI: 3,777
% White: 52.2%
% African American: 28.1%
% Asian: 1.8%
More on Oakdale: Photos | Data

4. LeesvilleLeesville Location In Louisiana

Leesville, LA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,891

HHI: 3,807
% White: 50.0%
% African American: 34.6%
% Asian: 2.3%
More on Leesville: Photos | Data

5. MarksvilleMarksville Location In Louisiana

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,432

HHI: 3,897
% White: 51.7%
% African American: 33.2%
% Asian: 0.6%
More on Marksville: Data

6. GonzalesGonzales Location In Louisiana

Gonzales, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Ken Lund from Reno, Nevad | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,789

HHI: 3,899
% White: 34.1%
% African American: 51.2%
% Asian: 2.1%
More on Gonzales: Photos | Data

7. PattersonPatterson Location In Louisiana

Patterson, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Z28scrambler | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,953

HHI: 4,014
% White: 53.2%
% African American: 33.7%
% Asian: 2.8%
More on Patterson: Data

8. DeridderDeridder Location In Louisiana

Deridder, LA

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,861

HHI: 4,067
% White: 52.3%
% African American: 35.5%
% Asian: 0.9%
More on Deridder: Photos | Data

9. AbbevilleAbbeville Location In Louisiana

Abbeville, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Paul (talk) | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 12,236

HHI: 4,075
% White: 47.0%
% African American: 42.8%
% Asian: 4.8%
More on Abbeville: Photos | Data

10. WestwegoWestwego Location In Louisiana

Westwego, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Infrogmation of New Orlea | GFDL 1.2
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,438

HHI: 4,202
% White: 58.4%
% African American: 26.7%
% Asian: 4.4%
More on Westwego: Photos | Data

How we determined the most diverse cities in Louisiana 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 Louisiana.

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
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We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 62 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 3,277 (Kenner) to 8,173 (Mandeville).

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

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

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

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

  1. Mandeville
  2. Grambling
  3. Central

For more Louisiana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Louisiana For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Kenner, LA 66,777 3,277
2 Gretna, LA 17,774 3,535
3 Oakdale, LA 7,607 3,777
4 Leesville, LA 5,891 3,807
5 Marksville, LA 5,432 3,897
6 Gonzales, LA 10,789 3,899
7 Patterson, LA 5,953 4,014
8 Deridder, LA 10,861 4,067
9 Abbeville, LA 12,236 4,075
10 Westwego, LA 8,438 4,202
11 Lake Charles, LA 77,283 4,247
12 Bossier City, LA 68,248 4,285
13 New Iberia, LA 29,456 4,343
14 Baton Rouge, LA 224,149 4,347
15 Addis, LA 5,274 4,353
16 Hammond, LA 20,668 4,355
17 Morgan City, LA 11,206 4,373
18 Ruston, LA 21,976 4,383
19 New Orleans, LA 390,845 4,446
20 Houma, LA 33,334 4,473
21 Bogalusa, LA 11,673 4,480
22 Eunice, LA 10,140 4,485
23 Alexandria, LA 47,012 4,512
24 Plaquemine, LA 6,680 4,540
25 Pineville, LA 14,237 4,580
26 Shreveport, LA 192,035 4,603
27 Minden, LA 12,274 4,607
28 Thibodaux, LA 14,494 4,638
29 Zachary, LA 17,283 4,642
30 Crowley, LA 12,796 4,653
31 Natchitoches, LA 17,898 4,654
32 Carencro, LA 8,984 4,661
33 Lafayette, LA 126,666 4,725
34 Jackson, LA 5,041 4,731
35 Breaux Bridge, LA 8,262 4,735
36 Franklin, LA 6,960 4,743
37 West Monroe, LA 12,583 4,755
38 Rayne, LA 8,041 4,788
39 Monroe, LA 48,241 4,924
40 Scott, LA 8,729 4,950
41 Ponchatoula, LA 7,195 5,017
42 St. Martinville, LA 5,945 5,054
43 Ville Platte, LA 7,159 5,179
44 St. Gabriel, LA 7,282 5,379
45 Slidell, LA 27,822 5,496
46 Jennings, LA 9,980 5,509
47 Covington, LA 10,372 5,938
48 Opelousas, LA 16,234 6,093
49 Donaldsonville, LA 8,237 6,098
50 Walker, LA 6,261 6,258
51 Broussard, LA 11,913 6,379
52 Jeanerette, LA 5,385 6,412
53 Youngsville, LA 13,407 6,504
54 Tallulah, LA 6,851 6,717
55 Bastrop, LA 10,311 6,807
56 Denham Springs, LA 9,937 6,863
57 Sulphur, LA 20,113 7,128
58 Harahan, LA 9,304 7,169
59 Baker, LA 13,437 7,337
60 Central, LA 29,107 7,633
61 Grambling, LA 5,185 8,148
62 Mandeville, LA 12,448 8,173
Download The Entire Louisiana Ranking Data

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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.

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