The 10 Most Diverse Cities In West Virginia For 2022


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

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Most Diverse Cities In West Virginia

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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 West Virginia 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 26 cities in West Virginia from most to least diverse.

Here are the 10 most diverse places in West Virginia for 2022:

  1. Charles Town
  2. Bluefield
  3. Dunbar
  4. Beckley
  5. Martinsburg
  6. Charleston
  7. South Charleston
  8. Morgantown
  9. Huntington
  10. Princeton

So what city is the most diverse in West Virginia? According to the most Census data, Charles Town took the number one over all spot for diversity in West Virginia.

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

Charles Town, WV

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 5,985

HHI: 5,045
% White: 69.1%
% African American: 11.3%
% Asian: 2.7%
More on Charles Town: PhotosData

Bluefield, WV

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,776

HHI: 5,158
% White: 67.8%
% African American: 22.9%
% Asian: 0.9%
More on Bluefield: PhotosData

Dunbar, WV

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,166

HHI: 5,198
% White: 70.1%
% African American: 14.1%
% Asian: 1.2%
More on Dunbar: Data

Beckley, WV

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,240

HHI: 5,891
% White: 74.8%
% African American: 16.3%
% Asian: 3.1%
More on Beckley: PhotosData

Martinsburg, WV

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 17,517

HHI: 5,939
% White: 75.5%
% African American: 14.0%
% Asian: 2.3%
More on Martinsburg: PhotosData

Charleston, WV

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 47,273

HHI: 6,347
% White: 78.3%
% African American: 14.2%
% Asian: 2.4%
More on Charleston: PhotosData

South Charleston, WV

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 12,461

HHI: 6,680
% White: 81.1%
% African American: 7.5%
% Asian: 3.3%
More on South Charleston: PhotosData

Morgantown, WV

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 30,953

HHI: 7,014
% White: 83.4%
% African American: 3.8%
% Asian: 3.9%
More on Morgantown: PhotosData

Huntington, WV

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 46,139

HHI: 7,209
% White: 84.4%
% African American: 8.1%
% Asian: 1.7%
More on Huntington: PhotosData

Princeton, WV

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,740

HHI: 7,454
% White: 86.0%
% African American: 6.9%
% Asian: 1.2%
More on Princeton: PhotosData

Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in West Virginia 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 West Virginia.

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 26 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 5,045 (Charles Town) to 9,883 (New Martinsville).

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

Read on for more information on how the cities in West Virginia 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 West Virginia

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

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

  1. New Martinsville
  2. Moundsville
  3. Parkersburg

For more West Virginia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Race By City In West Virginia For 2022

Rank City Population HHI
1 Charles Town, WV 5,985 5,045
2 Bluefield, WV 9,776 5,158
3 Dunbar, WV 7,166 5,198
4 Beckley, WV 16,240 5,891
5 Martinsburg, WV 17,517 5,939
6 Charleston, WV 47,273 6,347
7 South Charleston, WV 12,461 6,680
8 Morgantown, WV 30,953 7,014
9 Huntington, WV 46,139 7,209
10 Princeton, WV 5,740 7,454
11 Fairmont, WV 18,443 7,628
12 Buckhannon, WV 5,473 7,849
13 St. Albans, WV 10,078 8,022
14 Elkins, WV 7,017 8,134
15 Wheeling, WV 27,046 8,161
16 Hurricane, WV 6,225 8,232
17 Oak Hill, WV 8,249 8,249
18 Clarksburg, WV 15,743 8,414
19 Weirton, WV 18,458 8,460
20 Grafton, WV 5,035 8,542
21 Nitro, WV 6,498 8,555
22 Vienna, WV 10,261 8,593
23 Bridgeport, WV 8,675 8,724
24 Parkersburg, WV 29,732 8,864
25 Moundsville, WV 8,356 9,576
26 New Martinsville, WV 5,123 9,883

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 West Virginia.

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.