Cities With the Most Diverse Millennial Population

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U.S. Census data puts the number of millennials in the United States at roughly 72 million, surpassing Baby Boomers to make millennials America’s most-populous generation. While not as racially and ethnically diverse as the up-and-coming Generation Z, millennials are more diverse than the population as a whole, and increasingly so; according to the Pew Research Center, immigration is adding more numbers to the millennial population than it is to any other demographic group in the United States.

The ascendance of the millennial population is happening in tandem with the decline of America’s majority white population. According to U.S. Census data, about four out of 10 people in the United States identify as non-white, a proportion that has been increasing for decades. But the period from 2010 to 2020 marked America’s first-ever decade with both a decline in the white population proportion and a decline in absolute numbers. This means that all of the nation’s population growth over the past decade was attributed to racial and ethnic minorities.

America’s overall shift away from a majority-white country is all but certain. The U.S. Census forecasts that the United States will be “minority white” in the year 2045 with a demographic makeup of: 49.7% whites, 24.6% Hispanics or Latinos, 13.1% Blacks, 7.9% Asians, and 3.8% multiracial populations. America’s up-and-coming generations will be the most diverse in the nation’s history.

At the state level, diversity among the millennial population and among the general population track similarly. In 2020, data computed by the Census Bureau using a Diversity Index, which measures the probability that two randomly chosen people will be from different ethnic and racial groups, showed that Hawaii had an overall DI score of 76%, the highest among the states. Employing the same methodology to determine the makeup of the millennial population here, Hawaii also ranks the highest among U.S. states, with a DI score of 78.4% for millennials.

Hawaii was followed by Western states—California (69.7% overall, 69.1% millennial) and Nevada (68.8% overall, 69.1% millennial). The lowest collective DI scores—the states with the least amount of diversity—are found in a cohort of Northeastern states that includes New Hampshire (23.6% overall, 25.5% millennial), Vermont (20.2% overall, 19.9% millennial), and Maine (18.5% overall, 17.6% millennial). West Virginia and much of the Midwest and Mountain West also report some of the least diverse populations.

At the metro level, from 2010 to 2020, white population proportions declined in 381 of America’s 384 metropolitan areas, according to the Brookings Institution. And 2020 Census data shows there were minority-white populations in 32 of America’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas. Among the 100 largest metropolitan areas, Honolulu, Hawaii had the highest DI score for millennials, 77.9%, followed by cohorts of urban locales that are spread out across the United States.

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 ACS PUMS 5-Year Estimates. To determine the locations with the most diverse millennial populations, researchers at HireAHelper calculated a Simpson’s Diversity Index for the millennial population (aged 26–40 in 2020) using the demographic groups listed below. Only the top 100 largest metros in the U.S. were included in the analysis.

Here are the U.S. metropolitan areas with the most diverse millennial populations.

Large Metros With the Most Diverse Millennial Population

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15. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Diversity index: 66.7%
Hispanic or Latino: 518,061
White alone non-Hispanic: 1,050,837
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 336,399
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 1,651
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 175,305
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 708
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 5,224
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 47,084

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14. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Diversity index: 67.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 1,501,644
White alone non-Hispanic: 869,764
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 201,832
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 5,561
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 503,078
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 6,930
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 10,414
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 89,860

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13. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA

Diversity index: 67.5%
Hispanic or Latino: 159,585
White alone non-Hispanic: 560,706
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 490,680
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 1,929
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 97,250
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 859
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 5,492
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 31,939

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12. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

Diversity index: 68.0%
Hispanic or Latino: 205,600
White alone non-Hispanic: 248,220
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 94,153
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 490
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 28,052
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 385
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 3,838
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 15,559

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11. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

Diversity index: 68.0%
Hispanic or Latino: 295,124
White alone non-Hispanic: 347,403
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 43,014
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 3,321
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 105,388
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 3,221
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 1,698
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 33,150

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10. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Diversity index: 68.8%
Hispanic or Latino: 122,851
White alone non-Hispanic: 124,468
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 11,675
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 464
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 203,974
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 2,063
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 1,486
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 15,406

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9. Stockton, CA

Diversity index: 69.2%
Hispanic or Latino: 74,370
White alone non-Hispanic: 45,420
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 11,574
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 357
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 28,215
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 615
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 26
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 6,212

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8. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

Diversity index: 69.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 126,429
White alone non-Hispanic: 244,150
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 37,437
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 1,626
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 76,955
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 5,122
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 2,065
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 29,581

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7. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Diversity index: 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino: 532,954
White alone non-Hispanic: 711,926
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 292,190
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 3,613
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 147,711
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 1,736
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 4,872
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 39,449

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6. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Diversity index: 70.3%
Hispanic or Latino: 650,166
White alone non-Hispanic: 522,870
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 290,230
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 2,960
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 138,962
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 999
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 3,554
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 32,626

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5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Diversity index: 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 262,033
White alone non-Hispanic: 624,807
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 358,134
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 1,723
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 164,394
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 479
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 5,845
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 51,815

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4. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

Diversity index: 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 1,224,845
White alone non-Hispanic: 1,861,067
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 714,435
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 5,275
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 584,719
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 1,418
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 29,889
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 94,384

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3. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

Diversity index: 71.7%
Hispanic or Latino: 178,062
White alone non-Hispanic: 192,339
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 65,020
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 2,453
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 51,646
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 4,205
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 2,872
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 21,623

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2. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

Diversity index: 73.1%
Hispanic or Latino: 272,779
White alone non-Hispanic: 426,082
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 78,284
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 1,798
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 336,070
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 7,533
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 6,566
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 56,338

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1. Urban Honolulu, HI

Diversity index: 77.9%
Hispanic or Latino: 27,711
White alone non-Hispanic: 50,690
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic: 8,708
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic: 191
Asian alone non-Hispanic: 76,360
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic: 21,054
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic: 649
Multiracial non-Hispanic: 43,395

Detailed Findings & Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 ACS PUMS 5-Year Estimates. To determine the locations with the most diverse millennial populations, researchers calculated a Simpson’s Diversity Index for the millennial population (aged 26–40 in 2020) using the below demographic groups. The diversity index can be thought of as the chance that two people chosen at random from the population will belong to different racial/ethnic groups.

Hispanic or Latino
White alone non-Hispanic
Black or African American alone non-Hispanic
American Indian and Alaska Native alone non-Hispanic
Asian alone non-Hispanic
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone non-Hispanic
Some Other Race alone non-Hispanic
Multiracial non-Hispanic

Only the 100 largest metropolitan areas with available data were considered in this analysis.