Portland named one of the least diverse large U.S. cities
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s multiracial population grew from 2.9% in 2010, to 10.2% in 2020 — marking an increasingly diverse country overall. But as the U.S. becomes more diverse, a new report shows that the city of Portland is falling behind.
“It’s important to embrace diversity – and it’s good for the economy, too,” personal finance website WalletHub said in its latest study. “Not only have waves of immigration changed the face of the nation, they’ve also brought in fresh perspectives, skills and technologies to help the U.S. develop a strong adaptability to change.”
WalletHub determined which of the U.S.’s 501 largest cities were the most diverse in the study, which looks at metrics such as socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household and religious diversity.
The report gives a comprehensive list of the U.S.’s most populated cities from most-to-least diverse, and also gives individual rankings based on city size.
For large cities, Houston, Arlington, Texas, New York, Charlotte, N.C., and Dallas, Texas were recognized for having the most diverse residents.
Portland, on the other hand, was the fourth-to-last big city for diversity, followed by Pittsburgh, El Paso, Texas, and Detroit.
The Rose City scored 65.59 points out of 100, with its highest-score in the religious diversity category and its lowest in the socioeconomic diversity category. The latter focuses on educational attainment and household incomes.
Here is how other Oregon cities performed on WalletHub’s overall rankings for 501 cities.
- Hillsboro: No. 173
- Salem: No. 174
- Beaverton: No. 184
- Gresham: No. 237
- Portland: No. 242
- Corvallis: No. 407
- Medford: No. 418
- Bend: No. 440
- Eugene: No. 445
- Springfield: No. 481
Washington cities also made the list, with Kent being the best-ranked at No. 29 and Spokane being the worst-ranked at No. 362.