Capturing America’s incredibly diverse landscape is no easy task, but a new study analyzing diversity across all 50 states has found that Texas is the second most diverse state in America.
According to WalletHub’s annual “America’s Most Diverse States” report, Texas ranks second in diversity behind No. 1 state California. The study ranked states based on six main categories: socioeconomic diversity, cultural diversity, economic diversity, household diversity, religious diversity and political diversity.
Texas received a score of 70.48 out of a possible 100, less than 0.3 percentage points behind California’s 70.77.
As one of the largest states in the US, and one that happens to share a border with another country, Texas’ ranking is boosted in large part by its incredibly diverse (and large) population. According to WalletHub, Texas is the fourth most racially and ethnically diverse state in the US, with 40% of the population being white, nearly 40% being Hispanic, nearly 12% being black, and 5% being Asian.
While many may associate diversity solely with racial and ethnic identity, diversity also includes many other cultural perspectives. In fact, the study found that Texas is the third most linguistically diverse state in the U.S., with roughly 35% of residents speaking a language other than English at home. The state also claims third place in religious diversity and fourth place in household size diversity.
But Texas has the fourth-most prosperous economy in the country, and the Lone Star State’s economic diversity gives it an edge over other US states, WalletHub said.
“However, Texas stands out in terms of industrial diversity, ranking among the nation’s best in the range of jobs available to its residents,” the report said.
Cities like Houston, Texas, ranked #1 of America’s most diverse cities in 2024, are a great example of how diverse communities can foster new perspectives, greater diversity, and economic prosperity. Meanwhile, Austin lost ground, ranking just 70th among America’s most diverse cities.
The least diverse states, lagging far behind Texas, were mostly located on the East Coast: West Virginia (50th) unfortunately takes the title of least diverse state in America, followed by Maine (49th), New Hampshire (48th), Vermont (47th), and Montana (46th).
Here are the top 10 most diverse states in America:
#1 – California#2 – Texas #3 – Florida #4 – New Mexico #5 – Hawaii #6 – Nevada #7 – New Jersey #8 – New York #9 – Maryland #10 – Arizona
