The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Nebraska For 2021


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

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


Most Diverse Cities In Nebraska

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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 Nebraska 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 32 cities in Nebraska from most to least diverse.

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

  1. South Sioux City
  2. Lexington
  3. Crete
  4. Omaha
  5. Grand Island
  6. Scottsbluff
  7. Bellevue
  8. Schuyler
  9. Ralston
  10. Columbus

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

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

South Sioux City, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 12,896

HHI: 3,760
% White: 37.0%
% African American: 7.6%
% Asian: 3.6%
More on South Sioux City: PhotosData

Lexington, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,097

HHI: 4,359
% White: 25.0%
% African American: 13.2%
% Asian: 1.1%
More on Lexington: PhotosData

Crete, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,043

HHI: 4,376
% White: 48.2%
% African American: 2.8%
% Asian: 2.6%
More on Crete: PhotosData

Omaha, NE

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 475,862

HHI: 4,799
% White: 66.6%
% African American: 12.2%
% Asian: 3.8%
More on Omaha: PhotosData

Grand Island, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 51,147

HHI: 4,857
% White: 62.0%
% African American: 2.9%
% Asian: 1.3%
More on Grand Island: PhotosData

Scottsbluff, NE

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,737

HHI: 5,026
% White: 64.1%
% African American: 1.0%
% Asian: 0.8%
More on Scottsbluff: PhotosData

Bellevue, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 53,324

HHI: 5,292
% White: 70.4%
% African American: 6.0%
% Asian: 2.9%
More on Bellevue: PhotosData

Schuyler, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,284

HHI: 5,815
% White: 20.8%
% African American: 5.3%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Schuyler: PhotosData

Ralston, NE

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 7,321

HHI: 6,000
% White: 76.3%
% African American: 5.6%
% Asian: 1.9%
More on Ralston: PhotosData

Columbus, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 23,195

HHI: 6,049
% White: 74.3%
% African American: 0.5%
% Asian: 0.6%
More on Columbus: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in Nebraska 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 Nebraska.

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 32 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 3,760 (South Sioux City) to 9,232 (Gretna).

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

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

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

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

  1. Gretna
  2. Plattsmouth
  3. Seward

For more Nebraska reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In Nebraska For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 South Sioux City, NE 12,896 3,760
2 Lexington, NE 10,097 4,359
3 Crete, NE 7,043 4,376
4 Omaha, NE 475,862 4,799
5 Grand Island, NE 51,147 4,857
6 Scottsbluff, NE 14,737 5,026
7 Bellevue, NE 53,324 5,292
8 Schuyler, NE 6,284 5,815
9 Ralston, NE 7,321 6,000
10 Columbus, NE 23,195 6,049
11 Gering, NE 8,254 6,145
12 Alliance, NE 8,235 6,236
13 Lincoln, NE 283,839 6,445
14 Nebraska City, NE 7,273 6,597
15 Norfolk, NE 24,424 6,634
16 Chadron, NE 5,591 6,746
17 Fremont, NE 26,437 6,790
18 Hastings, NE 24,906 7,073
19 La Vista, NE 17,078 7,078
20 Papillion, NE 20,423 7,324
21 North Platte, NE 23,892 7,339
22 Wayne, NE 5,557 7,402
23 Kearney, NE 33,464 7,436
24 Sidney, NE 6,572 7,782
25 Holdrege, NE 5,455 8,245
26 York, NE 7,841 8,290
27 Mccook, NE 7,587 8,342
28 Beatrice, NE 12,300 8,774
29 Blair, NE 7,781 8,806
30 Seward, NE 7,176 8,839
31 Plattsmouth, NE 6,448 8,842
32 Gretna, NE 5,037 9,232

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.