The 10 Most Diverse Cities In Nebraska For 2024


The most diverse cities in Nebraska are South Sioux City and Crete for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.


Most Diverse Cities In Nebraska

Racial diversity in Nebraska is a mixed bag.

There are parts of Nebraska where there’s a high level of diversity. But where will you find the most diverse places in Nebraska?

To answer that question, we went to the US Census data. Using Saturday Night Science, we measured the Gini coefficient for all 32 cities in Nebraska to rank them from most to least diverse.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the 10 most diverse places in Nebraska for 2024:

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

For more Nebraska reading:

The 10 Most Diverse Places In Nebraska For 2024

South Sioux City, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,835
HHI: 3,558
% White: 32.5%
% African American: 10.6%
% Hispanic: 48.6%
% Asian: 2.8%
More on South Sioux City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Crete, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,093
HHI: 4,331
% White: 51.3%
% African American: 1.4%
% Hispanic: 41.0%
% Asian: 4.8%
More on Crete: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Omaha, NE

Source: Wikipedia User Raymond Bucko, SJ | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 489,201
HHI: 4,625
% White: 65.1%
% African American: 11.8%
% Hispanic: 14.8%
% Asian: 4.0%
More on Omaha: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Grand Island, NE

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

6
/10

Population: 52,822
HHI: 4,671
% White: 59.2%
% African American: 3.5%
% Hispanic: 34.0%
% Asian: 1.1%
More on Grand Island: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Lexington, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,662
HHI: 4,695
% White: 19.0%
% African American: 13.4%
% Hispanic: 64.4%
% Asian: 1.0%
More on Lexington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Bellevue, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 63,336
HHI: 4,984
% White: 67.9%
% African American: 5.7%
% Hispanic: 18.0%
% Asian: 3.3%
More on Bellevue: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Scottsbluff, NE

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 14,454
HHI: 4,997
% White: 64.0%
% African American: 0.5%
% Hispanic: 29.9%
% Asian: 0.7%
More on Scottsbluff: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Schuyler, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 6,516
HHI: 5,475
% White: 19.2%
% African American: 5.0%
% Hispanic: 71.2%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Schuyler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Gering, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,582
HHI: 5,521
% White: 69.2%
% African American: 1.2%
% Hispanic: 27.0%
% Asian: 0.5%
More on Gering: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Columbus, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 24,035
HHI: 5,856
% White: 72.5%
% African American: 0.6%
% Hispanic: 24.5%
% Asian: 0.5%
More on Columbus: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in Nebraska for 2024

We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census — and Saturday Night Science. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Nebraska.

That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2018-2022 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 3,558 (South Sioux City) to 8,937 (Blair).

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 Blair was the least diverse city.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the most diverse places in Nebraska.

Summary: Diversity Across Nebraska

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

The most diverse cities in Nebraska are South Sioux City, Crete, Omaha, Grand Island, Lexington, Bellevue, Scottsbluff, Schuyler, Gering, and Columbus.

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

  1. Blair
  2. Seward
  3. Beatrice

For more Nebraska reading, check out:

Race By City In Nebraska For 2024

Rank City Population HHI % White % Black % Hispanic % Asian
1 South Sioux City, NE 13,835 3,558 32.5% 10.6% 48.6% 2.8%
2 Crete, NE 7,093 4,331 51.3% 1.4% 41.0% 4.8%
3 Omaha, NE 489,201 4,625 65.1% 11.8% 14.8% 4.0%
4 Grand Island, NE 52,822 4,671 59.2% 3.5% 34.0% 1.1%
5 Lexington, NE 10,662 4,695 19.0% 13.4% 64.4% 1.0%
6 Bellevue, NE 63,336 4,984 67.9% 5.7% 18.0% 3.3%
7 Scottsbluff, NE 14,454 4,997 64.0% 0.5% 29.9% 0.7%
8 Schuyler, NE 6,516 5,475 19.2% 5.0% 71.2% 0.0%
9 Gering, NE 8,582 5,521 69.2% 1.2% 27.0% 0.5%
10 Columbus, NE 24,035 5,856 72.5% 0.6% 24.5% 0.5%
11 Ralston, NE 6,462 6,125 76.6% 4.3% 15.4% 0.0%
12 Lincoln, NE 290,531 6,205 78.0% 4.0% 8.3% 4.5%
13 Nebraska City, NE 7,257 6,422 78.6% 1.4% 14.5% 0.1%
14 La Vista, NE 16,713 6,424 79.2% 5.2% 10.6% 1.9%
15 Alliance, NE 8,118 6,514 79.7% 4.5% 11.8% 0.8%
16 Fremont, NE 27,230 6,515 79.0% 0.7% 16.2% 0.3%
17 Norfolk, NE 25,883 6,531 79.5% 1.0% 14.3% 1.0%
18 Hastings, NE 25,098 6,775 81.1% 0.6% 13.9% 1.4%
19 Kearney, NE 33,809 7,024 83.1% 1.1% 10.4% 2.2%
20 North Platte, NE 23,309 7,197 84.1% 1.5% 11.2% 0.9%
21 Sidney, NE 6,407 7,370 85.2% 1.6% 10.3% 1.2%
22 Plattsmouth, NE 6,585 7,415 85.6% 0.3% 8.1% 0.5%
23 Papillion, NE 24,016 7,430 85.8% 2.5% 6.8% 1.7%
24 Wayne, NE 5,973 7,472 85.9% 2.1% 9.7% 0.4%
25 Chadron, NE 5,255 7,570 86.7% 3.7% 2.8% 1.4%
26 Holdrege, NE 5,494 7,772 87.7% 0.9% 8.8% 0.1%
27 Mccook, NE 7,412 8,314 91.0% 1.0% 4.5% 0.0%
28 York, NE 8,101 8,321 91.1% 0.4% 4.4% 1.0%
29 Gretna, NE 9,019 8,440 91.7% 0.2% 4.1% 0.2%
30 Beatrice, NE 12,237 8,501 92.1% 1.1% 3.8% 1.0%
31 Seward, NE 7,667 8,760 93.5% 0.5% 4.2% 0.5%
32 Blair, NE 7,813 8,937 94.5% 1.1% 2.1% 0.3%
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.