The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Minnesota For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In Minnesota

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 Minnesota 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 146 cities in Minnesota from most to least diverse.

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

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

Brooklyn Center, MN

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 30,849

HHI: 2,748
% White: 38.3%
% African American: 28.9%
% Asian: 16.2%
More on Brooklyn Center: PhotosData

Brooklyn Park, MN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 80,068

HHI: 3,012
% White: 42.5%
% African American: 28.4%
% Asian: 18.5%
More on Brooklyn Park: PhotosData

St. Paul, MN

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 304,547

HHI: 3,343
% White: 51.4%
% African American: 15.8%
% Asian: 18.6%
More on St. Paul: PhotosData

Worthington, MN

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,105

HHI: 3,417
% White: 38.3%
% African American: 6.4%
% Asian: 10.6%
More on Worthington: PhotosData

Columbia Heights, MN

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 20,118

HHI: 4,018
% White: 59.4%
% African American: 17.9%
% Asian: 6.5%
More on Columbia Heights: PhotosData

Hopkins, MN

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 18,382

HHI: 4,020
% White: 58.9%
% African American: 19.1%
% Asian: 8.0%
More on Hopkins: PhotosData

Minneapolis, MN

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 420,324

HHI: 4,102
% White: 60.0%
% African American: 18.9%
% Asian: 5.9%
More on Minneapolis: PhotosData

Richfield, MN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 36,063

HHI: 4,165
% White: 60.7%
% African American: 10.8%
% Asian: 6.9%
More on Richfield: PhotosData

Maplewood, MN

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 40,545

HHI: 4,301
% White: 62.5%
% African American: 9.7%
% Asian: 14.5%
More on Maplewood: PhotosData

Fridley, MN

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 27,668

HHI: 4,338
% White: 62.5%
% African American: 15.7%
% Asian: 5.6%
More on Fridley: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

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 146 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 2,748 (Brooklyn Center) to 9,541 (Minnetrista).

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

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

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

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

  1. Minnetrista
  2. Orono
  3. Stewartville

For more Minnesota reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Minnesota For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Brooklyn Center, MN 30,849 2,748
2 Brooklyn Park, MN 80,068 3,012
3 St. Paul, MN 304,547 3,343
4 Worthington, MN 13,105 3,417
5 Columbia Heights, MN 20,118 4,018
6 Hopkins, MN 18,382 4,020
7 Minneapolis, MN 420,324 4,102
8 Richfield, MN 36,063 4,165
9 Maplewood, MN 40,545 4,301
10 Fridley, MN 27,668 4,338
11 Little Canada, MN 10,451 4,482
12 Willmar, MN 19,712 4,582
13 New Hope, MN 20,925 4,583
14 Waite Park, MN 7,692 4,624
15 North St. Paul, MN 12,406 4,756
16 West St. Paul, MN 19,779 4,777
17 Shakopee, MN 40,731 4,988
18 Robbinsdale, MN 14,468 5,018
19 Mounds View, MN 13,094 5,027
20 Burnsville, MN 61,311 5,073
21 Faribault, MN 23,800 5,153
22 Austin, MN 25,114 5,195
23 Falcon Heights, MN 5,571 5,280
24 Bloomington, MN 85,332 5,406
25 Crystal, MN 22,975 5,426
26 Eden Prairie, MN 64,179 5,484
27 Oakdale, MN 27,963 5,515
28 Eagan, MN 66,379 5,574
29 Spring Lake Park, MN 6,535 5,693
30 Roseville, MN 36,026 5,719
31 New Brighton, MN 22,556 5,726
32 Rochester, MN 115,557 5,784
33 Apple Valley, MN 52,889 5,836
34 St. Cloud, MN 68,001 5,860
35 South St. Paul, MN 20,194 5,873
36 Dayton, MN 5,817 5,963
37 Plymouth, MN 78,134 5,982
38 Woodbury, MN 69,906 6,007
39 Inver Grove Heights, MN 35,320 6,015
40 Blaine, MN 64,114 6,073
41 Marshall, MN 13,651 6,093
42 Savage, MN 31,254 6,122
43 St. Paul Park, MN 5,356 6,265
44 Bemidji, MN 15,132 6,301
45 Vadnais Heights, MN 13,444 6,304
46 St. Anthony, MN 9,038 6,365
47 Albert Lea, MN 17,773 6,441
48 Jordan, MN 6,230 6,514
49 Glencoe, MN 5,495 6,555
50 Crookston, MN 7,756 6,556
51 Chaska, MN 26,371 6,616
52 Cottage Grove, MN 36,602 6,647
53 St. Louis Park, MN 48,677 6,648
54 Coon Rapids, MN 62,517 6,762
55 Northfield, MN 20,347 6,881
56 Maple Grove, MN 70,627 6,916
57 East Grand Forks, MN 8,604 6,965
58 Anoka, MN 17,471 6,973
59 Waseca, MN 8,988 7,008
60 Shoreview, MN 26,791 7,014
61 Lakeville, MN 63,915 7,024
62 Montevideo, MN 5,108 7,043
63 Champlin, MN 24,755 7,117
64 Mankato, MN 42,093 7,127
65 Edina, MN 51,746 7,163
66 St. Peter, MN 11,854 7,232
67 Arden Hills, MN 10,293 7,233
68 Minnetonka, MN 53,025 7,266
69 Rosemount, MN 24,292 7,272
70 Owatonna, MN 25,685 7,288
71 Moorhead, MN 42,939 7,291
72 Cloquet, MN 12,005 7,316
73 Golden Valley, MN 21,566 7,319
74 Monticello, MN 13,583 7,488
75 Red Wing, MN 16,338 7,497
76 Forest Lake, MN 20,004 7,532
77 Big Lake, MN 10,856 7,559
78 Medina, MN 6,380 7,569
79 White Bear Lake, MN 25,673 7,571
80 Morris, MN 5,334 7,625
81 Chanhassen, MN 25,657 7,677
82 Lake Elmo, MN 8,969 7,700
83 Prior Lake, MN 26,365 7,722
84 Thief River Falls, MN 8,790 7,761
85 Farmington, MN 22,869 7,769
86 Corcoran, MN 5,911 7,816
87 Duluth, MN 85,915 7,833
88 Andover, MN 32,733 7,836
89 North Mankato, MN 13,778 7,870
90 Ramsey, MN 26,638 7,919
91 Stillwater, MN 19,341 7,947
92 Fairmont, MN 10,127 7,995
93 New Prague, MN 7,899 8,016
94 Litchfield, MN 6,631 8,039
95 St. Michael, MN 17,586 8,043
96 Detroit Lakes, MN 9,197 8,087
97 Delano, MN 6,085 8,089
98 Elk River, MN 24,522 8,108
99 North Oaks, MN 5,177 8,119
100 Lino Lakes, MN 21,404 8,123

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.