The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Massachusetts For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In Massachusetts

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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 Massachusetts 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 53 cities in Massachusetts from most to least diverse.

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

  1. Boston
  2. Everett
  3. Brockton
  4. Malden
  5. Lowell
  6. Lynn
  7. Springfield
  8. Worcester
  9. Revere
  10. Cambridge

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

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

Boston, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 684,379

HHI: 2,985
% White: 44.5%
% African American: 22.7%
% Asian: 9.6%
More on Boston: PhotosData

Everett, MA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 46,118

HHI: 3,048
% White: 43.6%
% African American: 16.5%
% Asian: 8.1%
More on Everett: PhotosData

Brockton, MA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 95,594

HHI: 3,105
% White: 30.8%
% African American: 44.1%
% Asian: 2.0%
More on Brockton: PhotosData

Malden, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 60,984

HHI: 3,113
% White: 47.0%
% African American: 17.8%
% Asian: 22.5%
More on Malden: PhotosData

Lowell, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 111,306

HHI: 3,286
% White: 48.7%
% African American: 7.2%
% Asian: 23.0%
More on Lowell: PhotosData

Lynn, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 93,743

HHI: 3,292
% White: 35.9%
% African American: 10.8%
% Asian: 7.2%
More on Lynn: PhotosData

Springfield, MA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 154,139

HHI: 3,351
% White: 31.2%
% African American: 18.5%
% Asian: 2.5%
More on Springfield: PhotosData

Worcester, MA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 185,143

HHI: 3,732
% White: 55.2%
% African American: 12.2%
% Asian: 7.4%
More on Worcester: PhotosData

Revere, MA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 53,692

HHI: 4,026
% White: 53.3%
% African American: 5.0%
% Asian: 4.8%
More on Revere: PhotosData

Cambridge, MA

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 116,632

HHI: 4,057
% White: 59.8%
% African American: 9.9%
% Asian: 16.6%
More on Cambridge: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts.

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 12,000 people. That left us with 53 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 2,985 (Boston) to 8,810 (Amesbury Town).

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

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

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

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

  1. Amesbury Town
  2. Newburyport
  3. Gloucester

For more Massachusetts reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Massachusetts For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Boston, MA 684,379 2,985
2 Everett, MA 46,118 3,048
3 Brockton, MA 95,594 3,105
4 Malden, MA 60,984 3,113
5 Lowell, MA 111,306 3,286
6 Lynn, MA 93,743 3,292
7 Springfield, MA 154,139 3,351
8 Worcester, MA 185,143 3,732
9 Revere, MA 53,692 4,026
10 Cambridge, MA 116,632 4,057
11 New Bedford, MA 95,239 4,195
12 Quincy, MA 94,207 4,430
13 Methuen Town, MA 50,282 4,605
14 Holyoke, MA 40,241 4,627
15 Waltham, MA 62,777 4,710
16 Fitchburg, MA 40,702 4,737
17 Somerville, MA 80,906 4,947
18 Chelsea, MA 39,992 4,965
19 Southbridge Town, MA 16,887 5,045
20 Marlborough, MA 39,736 5,079
21 Leominster, MA 41,606 5,188
22 Medford, MA 57,637 5,285
23 Haverhill, MA 63,533 5,416
24 Salem, MA 43,252 5,514
25 Chicopee, MA 55,421 5,532
26 Newton, MA 88,593 5,690
27 Taunton, MA 57,124 5,792
28 Watertown Town, MA 35,401 6,031
29 Fall River, MA 89,388 6,123
30 Woburn, MA 40,304 6,126
31 West Springfield Town, MA 28,609 6,484
32 Braintree Town, MA 37,220 6,509
33 Gardner, MA 20,610 6,713
34 Lawrence, MA 79,942 6,730
35 Weymouth Town, MA 56,734 6,744
36 Northampton, MA 28,516 6,864
37 Peabody, MA 52,906 6,960
38 Attleboro, MA 44,789 7,005
39 Pittsfield, MA 42,766 7,015
40 Barnstable Town, MA 44,406 7,185
41 Westfield, MA 41,449 7,328
42 Melrose, MA 28,113 7,405
43 North Adams, MA 12,959 7,464
44 Winthrop Town, MA 18,542 7,582
45 Greenfield Town, MA 17,375 7,615
46 Palmer Town, MA 12,237 7,677
47 Beverly, MA 41,885 7,879
48 Agawam Town, MA 28,696 7,948
49 Easthampton Town, MA 15,960 7,992
50 Franklin Town, MA 33,256 7,998
51 Gloucester, MA 30,162 8,465
52 Newburyport, MA 18,077 8,563
53 Amesbury Town, MA 17,434 8,810

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.