Dallas is now America's 4th most diverse city, new report says

Diversity is currently at the forefront of the U.S. conversation, as anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked nearly 150 percent in 2021 and the Derek Chauvin trial ended with guilty verdicts in Minneapolis.

Now, a new study sheds some good news on diversity in Texas. Finance website WalletHub released its report on 2021’s Most Diverse Cities in America, and Dallas ranks fourth overall.

Houston claimed the title as the most diverse city in America. Joining them high on the list are Arlington, at No. 8; and Fort Worth, at No. 25. Austin ranked 38th, Plano ranked 55th, and San Antonio, 66th.

"America is undergoing an extreme makeover, thanks to rapid demographic diversification," the study's authors say. "For example, while non-Hispanic whites are expected to remain the largest ethnic group for the foreseeable future, they will likely no longer make up a majority of the population by 2045."

To come up with its rankings, WalletHub compared the profiles of more than 500 of the largest cities across five major diversity categories: socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious. The annual report drills down into metrics and creates a point system on items such as industry diversity, income, age, religious affiliation, education, language, worker class, and marital status.

Top-ranked Houston’s rankings broke down like this (with 1 equaling most diverse and 250 equaling “average”):

• 49th – educational-attainment diversity
• 40th – racial and ethnic diversity
• 26th – linguistic diversity
• 246th – birthplace diversity
• 15th – industry diversity
• 173rd – occupational diversity
• 228th – marital-status diversity

The city narrowly edged out Jersey City, New Jersey with an overall diversity score of 71.87; Jersey City scored a 71.7. The next major city behind Houston is New York City at No. 3 (71.59).

No. 4-Dallas earned a score of 71.52. Dallas scored best in religious diversity (43rd overall) and cultural diversity (43rd overall), followed by socioeconomic diversity (68th), household diversity (159), and economic diversity (190).

Arlington follows at No. 8 overall and a score of 71.19. The city scored best in cultural diversity (38) and religious diversity (90), followed by socioeconomic diversity (111), economic diversity (117), and household diversity (237).

Fort Worth comes in at No. 25 and a score of 70.12. It scored best in cultural diversity (60), followed by socioeconomic diversity (95), economic diversity (119), religious diversity (161), and household diversity (245).

"It’s important to embrace diversity – and it’s good for the economy, too. 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," the study says. "Economies generally fare better when they openly embrace and capitalize on new ideas. Conversely, those relying on old ways and specialized industries tend to be hurt more by changes in the market."