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WalletHub released its 2025 ranking of the nation's Most Diverse Cities on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Three Maryland communities topped the list of 501 locations, which were evaluated based on socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious diversity.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 10.2 percent of Americans identified as multiracial in 2020, a sharp increase from just 2.9 percent in 2010.
"The most diverse cities demonstrate diversity in many dimensions – not just in race and gender but also everything from residents' languages and birthplaces to their job types and household sizes," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "These cities blend together a multitude of different perspectives, helping people to better understand the world around them and become more empathetic. This exchange of ideas also tends to increase the economic success of diverse cities."
Maryland: Leading The Nation In Diversity
Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, and Germantown secured the top three spots nationwide, making Maryland home to the most diverse cities in the country. Rockville also ranked high at 16th, with Frederick at 128th and Columbia at 133rd.
Baltimore was listed in 157th place, putting it alongside other larger cities like Kansas City, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky. Waldorf was the least racially diverse community in Maryland in 268th place.
Silver Spring has the nation's highest educational attainment diversity, 48.1 percent above the average of all cities. WalletHub determined that metric through a community's mix of people without high school diplomas, high school graduates, college grads, and postgraduate degree holders.
Germantown has the nation's highest racial and ethnic diversity, 117.4 percent above the average of all cities.
New Jersey: A Strong Showing in the Rankings
Jersey City ranked eighth overall and was the nation's most diverse midsized city (100,000 to 300,000 residents). The western neighbor of New York City was second in racial and ethnic diversity, along with third in linguistic diversity — a balance of those who speak English, Spanish, and several other languages.
Clifton came in at 20th place and Newark was close behind in 31st. Clifton was also ranked sixth among small cities with populations of less than 100,000 people.
Elizabeth (79th), Paterson (80th), Trenton (81st), Camden (149th), and Union City (207th) also placed high, highlighting the Garden State’s strong mix of cultures and economic backgrounds. Toms River was the least racially diverse community in New Jersey, placing 373rd.
Two North Jersey cities were recognized for their diverse employment options. Newark was ranked second for occupational diversity and Union City was fifth in industry diversity.
New York: A Hub Of Cultural And Linguistic Variety
New York City placed sixth overall, standing out for its racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. It only trailed Arlington, Texas, and Houston in the large city ranking.
Several NYC suburbs also ranked highly, including Yonkers (22nd), New Rochelle (55th), and Mount Vernon (111th). Albany came in 151st place but the capital city was also recognized for having the fourth-highest age diversity.
The Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga (343rd) was the Empire State's least-diverse community in the rankings, just behind Schenectady in 311th place.
Connecticut: Four Cities in the Top 50
Danbury ranked ninth and was fourth among small cities. The Hat City was boosted by its high rankings in cultural and socioeconomic diversity, coming in 18th and 35th place respectively.
Bridgeport followed in 13th place and only trailed Jersey City for midsized cities. Two other Fairfield County cities also placed highly: Stamford (19th) and Norwalk (34th).
New Britain (45th), Waterbury (87th), Hartford (90th), and New Haven (115th) also made the cut, showing that Connecticut's urban centers are among the most diverse in the country. West Hartford was the Constitution State's least diverse, although it did crack the top half of the rankings in 226th place.
Virginia: A Strong Showing in the South
Richmond was Virginia's most diverse city at 24th and only trailed St. Louis for religious diversity. Following the capital city was Norfolk (88th), Alexandria (93rd), and Roanoke (121st).
Arlington ranked as Virginia's least diverse city in 302nd place, but the Washington, DC, suburb has the nation's second-highest birthplace diversity. It also has the second-lowest occupational diversity in a city dominated by a federal workforce facing massive cuts in President Donald Trump's second term.
Massachusetts: Diversity Across Several Cities
Lowell placed 33rd and was ninth among midsized cities. The northern Massachusetts city was boosted by its 13th-place ranking in household diversity, along with finishing 19th in cultural diversity.
Boston finished in 56th place overall and was only slightly behind Lowell for cultural diversity in 26th. The city with dozens of colleges and higher learning institutions was fourth in educational attainment diversity.
Other Bay State cities finishing highly included Lynn (70th), Worcester (96th), Brockton (109th), Quincy (116th), and Springfield (131st). Cambridge was ranked lowest in the state in 269th place and has the nation's lowest occupational diversity.
Pennsylvania: A Mix Of Large And Midsize Diverse Cities
Lancaster led Pennsylvania with its 75th-place ranking. The hub of Dutch Country finished in 74th place in both cultural and household diversity.
Other cities leading the Keystone State in diversity include Philadelphia (113th), Harrisburg (118th), Allentown (142nd), and Bethlehem (176th). Erie was the state's least-diverse community in 404th place.
Allentown has the nation's lowest worker-class diversity, which weighs the mix of a community's private workers, government employees, self-employed individuals, and unpaid family workers. Bethlehem and Reading have the third- and fourth-lowest diversity in that metric.
Diversity's Economic And Social Impacts
Experts say diversity is more than just a social strength; it plays a major role in economic growth by fueling new ideas and innovation.
"More racially diverse neighborhoods display more prosociality, which suggests that they may also be more economically dependent on one another," said Chanel Meyers, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon. "In other words, people rely on others (many times from different racial/ethnic backgrounds) for mutually beneficial transactions.
"This type of behavior should foster economic growth overall. With globalization and increased immigration in this country, social cohesion will be necessary to continue a healthy financial market."
While many cities are embracing their growing diversity, hate crimes have also risen in recent years. According to FBI data, there were 11,862 hate crimes reported in 2023, more than double the 5,928 incidents in 2013.
University of North Georgia sociology professor Michallene McDaniel said problems can happen when people think they exist outside of diversity.
"They are setting themselves apart from others who they perceive as different but we are all different," McDaniel said. "If we can acknowledge that, we are in a better position to work together toward a common goal, rather than against each other as perceived threats."
You can click here to see WalletHub's full 2025 study on Most Diverse Cities in the US.
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