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So Im going to try something new here. As a potential way of measuring racial diversity, lets look at it by three different metrics:
1) A list of urban areas by the lowest racial concentration
2) A list of urban areas by the highest concentration
3) The difference between the two
The idea behind this is that if the lowest racial concentration (of the four major groups) is higher that implies more racial diversity. If an urban area's lowest racial concentration is 10.1% Asian (like Las Vegas), that would imply more racial diversity than if an urban area's lowest racial concentration was 4.5% Asian (like Jacksonville).
By the same idea, if an urban area's highest racial concentration is 40.1% white (like Washington DC), that implies more racial diversity than if an urban area's highest racial concentration is 70.1% white (like Minneapolis).
Then we can take the difference between the two and the lower the number, the more racial diversity. For example, if an urban area's lowest racial concentration is 10% and their highest is 50%, that would create a difference value of 40%. That would imply more racial diversity than an urban area whose lowest is 5% and highest is 65% for a difference of 60%.
Remember this is a measurement of racial diversity, not ethnic diversity.
Lowest Racial Concentration by Urban Area (the higher on the list, the more diverse):
New York City: Asian - 11.7%
Washington DC: Asian - 11.6%
Las Vegas: Asian - 10.1%
Houston: Asian - 8.8%
Boston: Black - 8.5%
Sacramento: Black - 8.0%
Dallas/Fort Worth: Asian - 7.8%
San Francisco: Black - 7.8%
Chicago: Asian - 7.3%
Raleigh: Asian - 7.3%
Atlanta: Asian - 6.9%
Minneapolis/St. Paul: Hispanic - 6.9%
Riverside/San Bernadino: Asian - 6.9%
Austin: Asian - 6.9%
Philadelphia: Asian - 6.4%
Seattle/Tacoma: Black - 6.4%
Baltimore: Asian - 6.4%
Los Angeles: Black - 6.2%
Columbus, OH: Hispanic - 5.5%
Charlotte: Asian - 5.3%
Hartford: Asian - 5.3%
Detroit: Hispanic - 4.9%
Orlando: Asian - 4.9%
San Diego: Black - 4.8%
Jacksonville: Asian - 4.5%
Phoenix: Asian - 4.4%
Denver: Asian - 4.3%
Indianapolis: Asian - 4.3%
Virginia Beach: Asian - 4.3%
Milwaukee: Asian - 4.3%
Oklahoma City: Asian - 3.8%
Buffalo: Asian - 3.8%
Nashville: Asian - 3.7%
Tampa: Asian - 3.6%
Kansas City: Asian - 3.5%
Providence: Asian - 3.5%
St. Louis: Asian - 3.4%
New Orleans: Asian - 3.4%
Cincinnati: Asian - 3.3%
Portland, OR: Black - 3.2%
Cleveland: Asian - 3.0%
San Antonio: Asian - 2.7%
Memphis: Asian - 2.6%
Miami/Fort Lauderdale: Asian - 2.5%
Louisville: Asian - 2.5%
San Jose: Black - 2.4%
Pittsburgh: Hispanic - 2.1%
Salt Lake City: Black - 2.0%
Birmingham: Asian - 1.8%
Highest Racial Concentration by Urban Area (the lower on the list, the more diverse):
Pittsburgh: White - 81.8%
Cincinnati: White - 74.5%
Buffalo: White - 74.0%
Providence: White - 71.4%
Louisville: White - 70.9%
Minneapolis/St. Paul: White - 70.1%
Portland, OR: White - 70.1%
Salt Lake City: White - 69.8%
St. Louis: White - 67.5%
Cleveland: White - 66.9%
Kansas City: White - 66.8%
Boston: White - 66.7%
Indianapolis: White - 66.3
Columbus, OH: White - 64.1%
Nashville: White - 63.9%
Detroit: White - 62.2%
Milwaukee: White - 62.0%
Denver: White - 61.7%
Tampa: White - 59.7%
Hartford: White - 59.5%
Raleigh: White - 59.2%
Philadelphia: White - 59.1%
Seattle/Tacoma: White - 59.1%
Riverside/San Bernadino: Hispanic - 58.8%
San Antonio: Hispanic - 58.7%
Oklahoma City: White - 58.1%
Jacksonville: White - 56.6%
Birmingham: White - 56.4%
Phoenix: White - 55.3%
Charlotte: White - 52.8%
Memphis: Black - 52.1%
Virginia Beach: White - 50.8%
Austin: White - 50.8%
Chicago: White - 49.5%
Sacramento: White - 48.5%
Baltimore: White - 48.1%
San Francisco: White - 48.0%
Los Angeles: Hispanic - 47.1%
Miami/Fort Lauderdale: Hispanic - 46.3%
Orlando: White - 44.8%
San Diego: White - 44.1%
New York City: White - 44.1%
New Orleans: White - 43.7%
Houston: Hispanic - 40.7%
Las Vegas: White - 40.1%
Atlanta: White - 40.1%
Washington DC: White - 40.1%
Dallas/Fort Worth: White - 39.6%
San Jose: Asian - 39.5%
And now for the measure of racial diversity by taking the difference between the numbers above.
Difference between the Concentration of the Lowest Racial and Highest Racial Groups. The lower the number, the more diverse the urban area is. So if the number is 40%, it implies more racial diversity than if the number is 60%:
Washington DC: 28.5%
Las Vegas: 30.0%
Dallas/Fort Worth: 31.8%
Houston: 31.9%
New York City: 32.4%
Atlanta: 33.2%
San Jose: 37.1%
San Diego: 39.3%
Orlando: 39.9%
San Francisco: 40.2%
New Orleans: 40.3%
Sacramento: 40.5%
Los Angeles: 40.9%
Baltimore: 41.7%
Chicago: 42.2%
Miami/Fort Lauderdale: 43.8%
Austin: 43.9%
Virginia Beach: 46.5%
Charlotte: 47.5%
Memphis: 49.5%
Phoenix: 50.9%
Riverside/San Bernadino: 51.9%
Jacksonville: 52.1%
Raleigh: 51.9%
Seattle/Tacoma: 52.7%
Philadelphia: 52.7%
Hartford: 54.2%
Oklahoma City: 54.3%
Birmingham: 54.6%
San Antonio: 56.0%
Tampa: 56.1%
Detroit: 57.3%
Denver: 57.4%
Milwaukee: 57.7%
Boston: 58.2%
Columbus, OH: 58.6%
Nashville: 60.2%
Indianapolis: 62.0%
Minneapolis/St. Paul: 63.2%
Kansas City: 63.3%
Cleveland: 63.9%
St. Louis: 64.1%
Portland, OR: 66.9%
Salt Lake City: 67.8%
Providence: 67.9%
Louisville: 68.4%
Buffalo: 70.2%
Cincinnati: 71.2%
Pittsburgh: 79.7%
What are your thoughts? Remember this is a measure of racial diversity not ethnic diversity.
Your methodology aren't that different from those used by Rice researchers several years ago to reach the conclusion that Houston is the most diverse city. Basically what you did is come up with a mathematical way to represent 'racial balance' between the four major groups.
It is not a bad way to see things but in this day and age I think you need to go into ethnic diversity to have meaningful conclusions. Even white Americans come in different flavors not to mention Hispanics and Asians.
Hispanics may "identify" as white because of an inferiority complex.
But they are overwhelmingly brown and mestizo.
Right there’s a lot of racial fear, colorism and confusion. Some Hispanics think checking “white” will be Beneficial too then somehow. Outside of some Tejanos and Cubans I’d bet 95% of Hispanics in the US are brown, mestizo, or black.
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