The 10 Most Diverse Cities In New York For 2022


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

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Most Diverse Cities In New York

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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 New York 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 169 cities in New York from most to least diverse.

Here are the 10 most diverse places in New York for 2022:

  1. Valley Stream
  2. New York
  3. Westbury
  4. Elmsford
  5. Monticello
  6. Rochester
  7. Middletown
  8. Yonkers
  9. Spring Valley
  10. New Rochelle

So what city is the most diverse in New York? According to the most Census data, Valley Stream took the number one over all spot for diversity in New York.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where New York 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 New York For 2022

Valley Stream, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 37,489

HHI: 2,251
% White: 27.4%
% African American: 26.9%
% Asian: 15.5%
More on Valley Stream: PhotosData

New York, NY

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,379,552

HHI: 2,522
% White: 31.9%
% African American: 21.4%
% Asian: 14.1%
More on New York: PhotosData

Westbury, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 15,339

HHI: 2,834
% White: 37.9%
% African American: 20.1%
% Asian: 10.0%
More on Westbury: PhotosData

Elmsford, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,197

HHI: 2,935
% White: 20.2%
% African American: 22.1%
% Asian: 9.8%
More on Elmsford: PhotosData

Monticello, NY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,429

HHI: 3,013
% White: 33.4%
% African American: 22.4%
% Asian: 2.2%
More on Monticello: PhotosData

Rochester, NY

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 206,357

HHI: 3,058
% White: 35.8%
% African American: 37.1%
% Asian: 3.3%
More on Rochester: PhotosData

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 28,018

HHI: 3,084
% White: 34.9%
% African American: 18.5%
% Asian: 3.2%
More on Middletown: Data

Yonkers, NY

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 200,183

HHI: 3,094
% White: 34.9%
% African American: 16.0%
% Asian: 6.2%
More on Yonkers: PhotosData

Spring Valley, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 32,295

HHI: 3,139
% White: 34.2%
% African American: 35.6%
% Asian: 2.2%
More on Spring Valley: PhotosData

New Rochelle, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 79,367

HHI: 3,140
% White: 42.8%
% African American: 19.1%
% Asian: 6.2%
More on New Rochelle: PhotosData

Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in New York for 2022

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 New York.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2016-2020 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 169 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 2,251 (Valley Stream) to 9,679 (New Square).

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

Read on for more information on how the cities in New York 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.

Summary: Diversity Across New York

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

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

  1. New Square
  2. Malone
  3. Kaser

For more New York reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Race By City In New York For 2022

Rank City Population HHI
1 Valley Stream, NY 37,489 2,251
2 New York, NY 8,379,552 2,522
3 Westbury, NY 15,339 2,834
4 Elmsford, NY 5,197 2,935
5 Monticello, NY 6,429 3,013
6 Rochester, NY 206,357 3,058
7 Middletown, NY 28,018 3,084
8 Yonkers, NY 200,183 3,094
9 Spring Valley, NY 32,295 3,139
10 New Rochelle, NY 79,367 3,140
11 Poughkeepsie, NY 30,341 3,155
12 Freeport, NY 42,993 3,200
13 Buffalo, NY 255,805 3,250
14 New Hyde Park, NY 9,746 3,288
15 Peekskill, NY 24,111 3,291
16 West Haverstraw, NY 10,220 3,311
17 Ossining, NY 24,966 3,328
18 White Plains, NY 58,171 3,353
19 Schenectady, NY 65,336 3,369
20 Syracuse, NY 142,553 3,380
21 Albany, NY 96,860 3,397
22 Utica, NY 59,984 3,691
23 Newburgh, NY 28,146 3,748
24 Monroe, NY 8,567 3,749
25 Glen Cove, NY 27,172 3,853
26 Manorhaven, NY 6,725 3,863
27 Nyack, NY 7,130 3,922
28 Hudson, NY 6,103 3,927
29 Hempstead, NY 55,153 4,105
30 Sleepy Hollow, NY 10,089 4,107
31 Mount Vernon, NY 67,623 4,135
32 Beacon, NY 13,723 4,139
33 Wappingers Falls, NY 5,639 4,153
34 Pelham, NY 6,957 4,194
35 Mount Kisco, NY 10,949 4,271
36 Kingston, NY 22,954 4,274
37 Troy, NY 49,253 4,355
38 Suffern, NY 10,945 4,403
39 New Hempstead, NY 5,426 4,413
40 Walden, NY 6,683 4,417
41 Woodbury, NY 10,700 4,427
42 Ithaca, NY 30,715 4,482
43 Dunkirk, NY 11,812 4,522
44 Tarr, NY 11,394 4,600
45 Washingtonville, NY 5,754 4,655
46 Amsterdam, NY 17,823 4,672
47 North Hills, NY 5,867 4,792
48 Amityville, NY 9,440 4,792
49 Mamaroneck, NY 19,247 4,812
50 Niagara Falls, NY 47,978 4,835
51 Port Chester, NY 29,210 4,845
52 Lynbrook, NY 19,445 4,862
53 Mineola, NY 19,267 4,899
54 Salamanca, NY 5,466 5,016
55 Tuckahoe, NY 6,548 5,035
56 Binghamton, NY 44,819 5,054
57 Dobbs Ferry, NY 10,959 5,075
58 Great Neck Plaza, NY 6,980 5,086
59 Williston Park, NY 7,266 5,245
60 Scarsdale, NY 17,890 5,318
61 Patchogue, NY 12,389 5,343
62 Goshen, NY 5,346 5,415
63 Pleasantville, NY 7,256 5,457
64 Geneva, NY 12,720 5,470
65 East Rockaway, NY 9,810 5,473
66 Haverstraw, NY 12,076 5,494
67 Port Jervis, NY 8,541 5,494
68 Watervliet, NY 9,976 5,518
69 Chestnut Ridge, NY 8,041 5,570
70 Harrison, NY 28,363 5,577
71 Great Neck, NY 10,172 5,632
72 Farmingdale, NY 8,869 5,713
73 Long Beach, NY 33,475 5,716
74 New Paltz, NY 7,169 5,731
75 Floral Park, NY 15,979 5,764
76 Rensselaer, NY 9,223 5,810
77 Pelham Manor, NY 5,535 5,816
78 Lackawanna, NY 17,751 5,856
79 Lindenhurst, NY 26,885 5,958
80 Airmont, NY 8,771 5,976
81 Elmira, NY 27,236 5,979
82 Solvay, NY 6,299 5,980
83 Johnson City, NY 14,329 6,008
84 Lake Grove, NY 11,083 6,066
85 Newark, NY 8,868 6,203
86 Rye, NY 15,769 6,284
87 Rye Brook, NY 9,554 6,297
88 Croton-On-Hudson, NY 8,121 6,318
89 Malverne, NY 8,516 6,377
90 Lockport, NY 20,420 6,378
91 Endicott, NY 12,684 6,424
92 Irvington, NY 6,494 6,449
93 Watertown, NY 25,224 6,501
94 Rockville Centre, NY 24,552 6,562
95 Potsdam, NY 9,003 6,598
96 Bronxville, NY 6,450 6,641
97 Briarcliff Manor, NY 7,695 6,652
98 Fredonia, NY 10,311 6,655
99 Auburn, NY 26,383 6,670
100 Cohoes, NY 16,708 6,696

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the most diverse places in New York.

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.