Most Diverse Neighborhoods On the West Coast

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By Melly Alazraki Published
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Most Diverse Neighborhoods On the West Coast

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The third most populous country, the United States is also one of the more ethnically and racially diverse countries in the world. Of course, not all parts are as equally diverse, and some states, some cities, even some neighborhoods are more diverse than others. To help represent diversity of an area, the Census Bureau has created a measure that calculates the chance that two people chosen at random from a certain place will be from different race and ethnicity groups.

To determine the most diverse neighborhoods on the West Coast, 24/7 Wall St. calculated this measure for different census tracts, using five-year data on race and ethnicity from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. Neighborhoods were ranked based on the probability that two residents picked at random will be of different race or ethnicity. Racial and ethnic groups include white, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, some other race alone, and two or more races.

It may be surprising considering that it is the second most populous metropolitan area nationwide, but only one neighborhood in Los Angeles is on the list — Downtown LA. However, neighborhoods in cities in the Bay Area constitute a large portion of the list. This includes 14 neighborhoods in Sacramento, eight in Oakland, and a few more in nearby cities. In all, 39 neighborhoods are in California, eight in Washington state, and three in Alaska, including the two most diverse on the list. (Also see: The Most Diverse Neighborhoods On the East Coast.)

Among the most diverse neighborhoods, housing tends to be expensive, with home values generally above the U.S. typical home value in November 2023 of $342,099. Of the 47 neighborhoods with housing value data, only five have lower home values. Meanwhile, two neighborhoods, one in Hayward, California, and one in San Francisco, have home values of over a million.

Full Methodology

To determine the most diverse neighborhoods on the West Coast, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year data on race and ethnicity from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey.  The probability that any two residents picked at random will belong to a different racial or ethnic category is equivalent to the sum of the squares of each group’s share of the population, subtracted from 1. The same method is used in the USA Today Diversity Index as well as the racial and ethnic diversity index of the Disseminating Diversity Working Group of the Census Bureau.

Data on population by race and ethnicity were aggregated from the census tract level to the neighborhood level using 2022 census tract boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau and 2017 neighborhood boundary definitions from Zillow. Census tracts with at least 50% spatial overlap within the neighborhood boundary were included in population aggregation. Data on estimated median home value is the November 2023 Zillow Home Value Index, a measure of typical home values for homes in the 35th to 65th percentile range.

50. Prospect Park (Rancho Cordova, CA)

Rancho Cordova. California. USA
SevenMaps / Shutterstock.com
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (36.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: N/A
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,611

49. Weberstown (Stockton, CA)

DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (38.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $308,032
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,676

48. McClymonds (Oakland, CA)

kenlund / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (32.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $695,104
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,382

47. Canyon Springs (Riverside, CA)

kenlund / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (29.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: N/A
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,390

46. Lakeview (Lakewood, WA)

  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (35.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $363,494
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,300

45. Pocket (Sacramento, CA)

dougtone / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (33.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $603,487
  • Est. population in 2022: 27,258

44. Pocket (Sacramento, CA)

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (33.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $603,487
  • Est. population in 2022: 27,258

43. Airport (Sacramento, CA)

dszc / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (36.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $415,715
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,661

42. RP Sports Complex (Sacramento, CA)

daveynin / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (36.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: N/A
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,010

41. Clinton (Oakland, CA)

string_bass_dave / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (34.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $661,852
  • Est. population in 2022: 7,794

40. School (Oakland, CA)

dougletterman / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (34.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $712,763
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,605

39. Village 11 (Sacramento, CA)

greywolf1 / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (32.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $529,180
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,900

38. Dower (Lakewood, WA)

  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (31.5%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $470,947
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,239

37. Meadowview (Sacramento, CA)

Brandon Williams / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (35.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $390,273
  • Est. population in 2022: 34,794

36. Village 2 (Sacramento, CA)

JasonDoiy / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (30.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $570,640
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,401

35. Robla (Sacramento, CA)

Chris LaBasco / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (31.5%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $424,355
  • Est. population in 2022: 7,961

34. Allendale (Oakland, CA)

DianeBentleyRaymond / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (36.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $632,262
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,675

33. Southside Park (Sacramento, CA)

Manny Chavez / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (34.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $575,309
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,436

32. Hoover-Foster (Oakland, CA)

Melpomenem / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (31.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $696,100
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,326

31. Western Addition (San Francisco, CA)

dell640 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (30.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $1,030,217
  • Est. population in 2022: 11,432

30. Spanos Park West (Stockton, CA)

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (30.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $581,391
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,960

29. Creekside – Wagner (Stockton, CA)

sharonhahndarlin / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (35.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $463,312
  • Est. population in 2022: 11,776

28. South White Rock (Rancho Cordova, CA)

jmoor17 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (33.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $431,276
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,467

27. Eastside-ENACT (Tacoma, WA)

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (38.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $403,414
  • Est. population in 2022: 29,343

26. Tuxedo (Oakland, CA)

SpVVK / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (28.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $670,727
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,927

25. Longfellow (Oakland, CA)

alacatr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (33.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $819,367
  • Est. population in 2022: 6,257

24. North Central (San Mateo, CA)

SpVVK / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (31.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $690,752
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,452

23. Northeast (Anchorage, AK)

yenwen / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (41.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $308,726
  • Est. population in 2022: 28,515

22. Broadmoor (San Leandro, CA)

Todd Sanchez / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (30.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $886,315
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,260

21. El Cerrito (San Diego, CA)

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (30.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $733,484
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,433

20. Glenwood Meadows (Sacramento, CA)

Sundry Photography / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (37.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $404,937
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,653

19. Reservoir Hill (Oakland, CA)

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (31.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $655,731
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,853

18. Upper B Street (Hayward, CA)

MasaoTaira / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (33.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $749,623
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,134

17. Z’berg Park (Sacramento, CA)

rschlie / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (28.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $552,693
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,130

16. Downtown (Los Angeles, CA)

Ron and Patty Thomas / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (26.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $611,825
  • Est. population in 2022: 50,976

15. Ridgeview-Webster (San Diego, CA)

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (30.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $683,314
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,042

14. Downtown (San Leandro, CA)

Green Bridge // San Leandro, CA
ma.ya / Shutterstock.com
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (31.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $722,876
  • Est. population in 2022: 8,433

13. West Hill (Kent, WA)

gmc3101 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (33.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $554,987
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,224

12. The Lakes (Kent, WA)

gmc3101 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (32.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $431,810
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,803

11. Greenhaven (Sacramento, CA)

JasonDoiy / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (28.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $603,142
  • Est. population in 2022: 9,182

10. Dunlap (Seattle, WA)

LoweStock / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (29.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $562,982
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,285

9. Vallejo Heights (Vallejo, CA)

patrick_nouhailler / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 78.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (25.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $441,858
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,532

8. Hayward Highland (Hayward, CA)

Sunset view of residential and industrial areas in East San Francisco Bay Area; green hills visible in the foreground; Hayward, California
Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 78.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (27.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $1,175,604
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,556

7. Marina Bay (Richmond, CA)

  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 78.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (25.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $593,266
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,584

6. Alderbrook (Federal Way, WA)

Federal Way. Washington State
SevenMaps / Shutterstock.com
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 78.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (30.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $595,317
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,535

5. Woodbine (Sacramento, CA)

bbourdages / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 79.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (26.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $386,576
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,720

4. Pacific Ridge (Des Moines, WA)

gmc3101 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 79.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (27.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $302,773
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,859

3. Valley High-North Laguna (Sacramento, CA)

Manny Chavez / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 79.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (28.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $444,595
  • Est. population in 2022: 42,943

2. Russian Jack Park (Anchorage, AK)

RobsonAbbott / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 81.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (26.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $220,145
  • Est. population in 2022: 12,629

1. Mountain View (Anchorage, AK)

fncll / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 82.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (22.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $237,601
  • Est. population in 2022: 6,009
Photo of Melly Alazraki
About the Author Melly Alazraki →

Melly Alazraki worked in the finance world, on both the buy and sell sides, before turning to writing about it. Her work has been featured in Daily Finance, Aol.com, MSN Money, The Motley Fool, BloggingStock, and 24/7 Wall St.

Melly initially wrote about general stock market and economics news before becoming a specialist, covering the pharmaceutical beat for Daily Finance. Several of her articles have been cited in papers published in Cornell University Press, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and others.

Since joining 24/7 Wall St., Melly helped develop the site's data journalism side, focusing on economic, population trends, housing, and other topics.
 
Graduating with an honors commerce degree from the University of British Columbia, Melly uses her knowledge of economics, business, and experience to write data-supported pieces that aim to provide value and insight to readers.

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