Mapping Diversity in the USA

America is becoming more and more diverse. However the pace of this change in diversity is faster in some parts of the country than in others. Axios has mapped out Where America's diversity is increasing the fastest. On Axios's map every county is colored to show whether it has become more or less diverse since 2009 and by what degree.

It is important to remember that this map doesn't show the least and most diverse locations in the USA. It only shows how much the diversity in counties has changed between 2009-2017. For example, the Midwest has experienced some of the fastest growing diversity during this period. As Axios points out the Midwest still remains one of the least diverse regions of the country. If you hover over a county on the map you can actually view the county's diversity score and how it compares to the U.S. average. If you hover over counties in the Midwest you will discover that most Midwest counties actually have a diversity score lower than the national average.

You can see on the map that the majority of counties in south Texas are becoming less diverse. The majority of the population in most of these counties are Hispanic and the percentage of the local Hispanic population has grown since 2009.


If you want to explore the diversity of America in more detail then you should have a look at National Geographic's interactive map which visualizes the racial diversity of America block by block. National Geographic's map provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of American towns and cities and also reveals how these same towns and cities are often sharply divided along racial lines.

Back in 2013 the University of Virginia made the Racial Dot Map, a Google Map which shows the geographic distribution, population density, and racial diversity of the USA. The Racial Dot Map uses data from the 2010 US census, with each of the 308,745,538 dots representing the location and race of one American citizen.

The National Geographic map uses the same 2010 census data, as geographically refined by the University of Virginia Demographics Research Group and the University of Minnesota. Where we Live, Block by Block colors each census tract by the majority racial / ethnic group in the block. Using the map you can therefore zoom in on any city or town in the USA to view the racial diversity of the local neighborhoods.

The National Geographic map also includes a number of guided tours of American cities and regions that have an interesting history of racial diversity. These tours explore the current racial diversity of these areas and often attempt to explain the historical reasons for the observed patterns of local racial diversity.