BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — One of America’s original claims to fame is that it has, in the past, served as a gigantic ‘melting pot’ of cultures from around the world. The ideas of cross-cultural exchange and open opportunities for everyone (as embellished as they may be) are those that are typically propagated in American society. But is this idea true across the entire country? A new study suggests that diversity is not always common throughout states in the US — including our own.
In order to identify which areas of the United States have the largest numbers of diversity and cultural exchange, researchers with Wallethub compared each state over six key dimensions (Social-Economic, Cultural, Economic, Household, Religious, and Political Diversity) using data from the U.S Census Bureau. These dimensions were then evaluated over fourteen different metrics and graded on a 100-point scale. After each dimension was measured and graded, it was determined that North Dakota is one of the least diverse states in the country, especially when it comes to certain metrics.
| Overall Rank | State | Socioeconomic Diversity Rank | Cultural Diversity Rank | Economic Diversity Rank | Household Diversity Rank | Religious Diversity Rank | Political Diversity Rank | Total Score |
| 41 | North Dakota | 38 | 43 | 10 | 45 | 4 | 48 | 63.29 |
| 42 | Utah | 20 | 28 | 30 | 50 | 48 | 39 | 63.21 |
| 43 | Wyoming | 45 | 39 | 2 | 48 | 37 | 50 | 62.68 |
| 44 | Iowa | 42 | 44 | 27 | 40 | 28 | 6 | 62.66 |
| 45 | Kentucky | 46 | 46 | 29 | 13 | 29 | 34 | 62.38 |
| 46 | Montana | 40 | 45 | 4 | 44 | 45 | 6 | 61.89 |
| 47 | Vermont | 12 | 48 | 37 | 26 | 43 | 3 | 61.36 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | 14 | 47 | 38 | 47 | 50 | 44 | 60.41 |
| 49 | Maine | 30 | 49 | 32 | 35 | 49 | 24 | 59.90 |
| 50 | West Virginia | 50 | 50 | 17 | 32 | 42 | 43 | 59.37 |
While North Dakota does possess fairly high levels of economic and religious diversity, the state does not fare nearly as well in any other diversity dimension. In almost every other statistic analyzed in Wallethub’s research, ND falls under the national average diversity score. Below is a list of North Dakota’s particularly notable ranks in certain aspects of the study.
- In Educational and Attainment Diversity, North Dakota ranked 45th out of all 50 states.
- In both Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Linguistic Diversity, North Dakota ranked 42nd.
- In Birthplace Diversity, North Dakota ranked 32nd.
- In Industry Diversity, North Dakota ranked 28th.
- In Occupational Diversity, North Dakota ranked 19th.
- In Marital Status Diversity, North Dakota ranked 47th.
- In Household-Size Diversity, North Dakota ranked 45th.
In contrast the the least diverse states (many of which are the least populated portions of the country), the busier areas of the USA — especially densely-packed states like California, New York, and Florida — have much higher diversity scores. Not a single state in the Midwest makes it into the top ten ranking.
| Overall Rank | State | Socioeconomic Diversity Rank | Cultural Diversity Rank | Economic Diversity Rank | Household Diversity Rank | Religious Diversity Rank | Political Diversity Rank | Total Score |
| 1 | California | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 32 | 32 | 70.84 |
| 2 | Texas | 9 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 3 | 39 | 70.39 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 26 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 34 | 4 | 69.87 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 8 | 5 | 42 | 39 | 17 | 10 | 69.72 |
| 5 | Florida | 24 | 4 | 33 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 69.71 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 39 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 21 | 69.64 |
| 7 | Nevada | 27 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 41 | 20 | 69.56 |
| 8 | New York | 3 | 8 | 43 | 4 | 19 | 9 | 69.55 |
| 9 | Maryland | 6 | 10 | 26 | 19 | 27 | 16 | 69.15 |
| 10 | Arizona | 19 | 9 | 25 | 5 | 31 | 34 | 69.01 |
In order to view the full study — including a detailed infographic and broken-down information on each state’s rankings in each dimension — visit this page on WalletHub’s website.
