Population and Social Characteristics

Most Diverse Neighborhoods in the Midwest

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Diversity in the Midwest, like in most of the country, has different root causes, including the Great Migration of 1910 to 1970. At the time, Black Americans moved in droves from the South to Northern, Midwestern, and Western states, pursuing economic and educational opportunities, and fleeing oppression of Jim Crow. It is considered one of the largest movements of people in United States history.

In the First Great Migration (1910-1940) particularly, Black Americans moved to Midwest cities, including Chicago and Detroit. While they may have been able to find jobs, many met with housing discrimination, such as redlining, which created segregated neighborhoods.

Today, diversity includes people of many racial and ethnic backgrounds. 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 50 most diverse neighborhoods in the Midwest, 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.

Of the 50 neighborhoods on the list, 12 are in Minneapolis, 10 in Chicago, and six in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Also see: The Most Diverse Neighborhoods On the East Coast.)

Among the most diverse neighborhoods in the Midwest, housing tends to be cheaper than the national average, though that could be a function of overall cheaper housing in the region. The U.S. typical home value in November 2023 of $342,099, and 48 neighborhoods have lower home value.

Full Methodology

To determine the most diverse neighborhoods, 24/7 Tempo reviewed 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. 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 (Des Moines, IA)

pabradyphoto / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 69.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (39.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $176,672
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,534

49. Capitol Park (Des Moines, IA)

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (38.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $141,686
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,712

48. Illinois Medical District (Chicago, IL)

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (47.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: N/A
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,334

47. Near Westside (Indianapolis, IN)

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (34.5%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $101,319
  • Est. population in 2022: 13,583

46. Hyde Park (Chicago, IL)

pom-angers / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (45.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $228,254
  • Est. population in 2022: 19,330

45. Uptown (Chicago, IL)

pom-angers / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (41.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $273,785
  • Est. population in 2022: 21,763

44. Brookdale Park (Brooklyn Park, MN)

Courtesy of NAVA
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (36.5%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $303,829
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,076

43. Bryant (Minneapolis, MN)

jimkruger / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (37.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $293,837
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,554

42. West Boulevard (Cleveland, OH)

Ed Jackson / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (36.5%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $104,422
  • Est. population in 2022: 16,706

41. Rogers Park (Chicago, IL)

pom-angers / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (42.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $211,856
  • Est. population in 2022: 53,165

40. M.L. King Jr. Park (Des Moines, IA)

JoeChristensen / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (38.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $138,768
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,455

39. Ventura Village (Minneapolis, MN)

dalecruse / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (43.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $227,044
  • Est. population in 2022: 6,266

38. Planeview United (Wichita, KS)

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 70.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (46.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $65,395
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,625

37. Hubbard-Richard (Detroit, MI)

Michigan | Detroit Aerial Panorama
pawel.gaul / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (37.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $213,838
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,502

36. Churchill Downs (Lansing, MI)

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (40.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $132,305
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,748

35. Millbrook (Grand Rapids, MI)

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (41.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $308,242
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,920

34. Central (Minneapolis, MN)

dougtone / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (36.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $283,566
  • Est. population in 2022: 7,087

33. East Phillips (Minneapolis, MN)

Davel5957 / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (43.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $226,455
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,936

32. Payne Phalen (Saint Paul, MN)

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (42.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $238,784
  • Est. population in 2022: 31,531

31. Jordan (Minneapolis, MN)

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  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (45.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $208,888
  • Est. population in 2022: 8,360

30. Madison Area (Grand Rapids, MI)

scottb211 / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (39.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $170,501
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,636

29. South Area (Wichita, KS)

benkrut / Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (41.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $159,312
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,506

28. Willard Hay (Minneapolis, MN)

clairity / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (40.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $235,538
  • Est. population in 2022: 9,027

27. Menomonee River Valley (Milwaukee, WI)

formulanone / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (31.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $416,898
  • Est. population in 2022: 1,262

26. Hawthorne (Minneapolis, MN)

JenniferPhotographyImaging / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (47.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $220,934
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,108

25. Edgewater (Chicago, IL)

Pom' / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (41.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $228,038
  • Est. population in 2022: 9,069

24. Woodward Park (Columbus, OH)

Randall Vermillion / Shutterstock.com
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 71.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (36.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $254,178
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,867

23. Folwell (Minneapolis, MN)

RudyBalasko / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 72.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (38.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $198,105
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,231

22. Arcadia Terrace (Chicago, IL)

  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 72.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (35.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $336,726
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,864

21. Forest Park West (Columbus, OH)

espiegle / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 72.9%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (38.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $260,958
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,928

20. Budlong Woods (Chicago, IL)

Illinois | chicago skyline from the park
franckreporter / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 73.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (33.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $231,051
  • Est. population in 2022: 9,608

19. North End (Saint Paul, MN)

warrenlemay / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 73.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (33.0%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $221,242
  • Est. population in 2022: 26,713

18. West Rogers Park (Chicago, IL)

Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 73.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (39.5%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $235,752
  • Est. population in 2022: 71,376

17. Tri-Taylor (Chicago, IL)

srobanion / Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 73.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Hispanic or Latino (33.7%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $286,606
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,645

16. University Village – Little Italy (Chicago, IL)

Jacob Boomsma / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 73.6%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (32.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $330,115
  • Est. population in 2022: 12,543

15. Lind-Bohanon (Minneapolis, MN)

NicholasBPhotography / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 73.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (37.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $220,823
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,393

14. Cedar River (Waterloo, IA)

Jacob Boomsma / Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (37.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $68,949
  • Est. population in 2022: 809

13. Dayton’s Bluff (Saint Paul, MN)

  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.2%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (34.4%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $227,030
  • Est. population in 2022: 16,098

12. White Ash (Columbus, OH)

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (31.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $276,129
  • Est. population in 2022: 6,799

11. Webber-Camden (Minneapolis, MN)

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (36.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $214,990
  • Est. population in 2022: 5,633

10. Hartkopf (Brooklyn Park, MN)

jtmillphoto / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.4%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (35.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $283,988
  • Est. population in 2022: 7,043

9. River Park (Brooklyn Park, MN)

diversey / Flickr
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (31.1%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $324,170
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,587

8. Battle Creek (Saint Paul, MN)

pabradyphoto / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 74.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (30.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $294,902
  • Est. population in 2022: 23,339

7. Greater Eastside (Saint Paul, MN)

ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (32.8%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $251,387
  • Est. population in 2022: 31,823

6. Mead (Wichita, KS)

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.1%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (39.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $119,727
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,707

5. Shingle Creek (Minneapolis, MN)

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.5%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (31.3%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $246,701
  • Est. population in 2022: 2,055

4. Goodrich-Kirkland Park (Cleveland, OH)

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.7%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (31.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $63,576
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,523

3. Pioneer Park (Des Moines, IA)

dangarneau / iStock via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 75.8%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: White (29.2%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $194,406
  • Est. population in 2022: 3,661

2. Mckinley (Minneapolis, MN)

Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 76.3%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Black or African American (34.9%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $194,775
  • Est. population in 2022: 4,480

1. Thomas Dale (Saint Paul, MN)

Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography / E+ via Getty Images
  • Likelihood two random residents are different race or ethnicity: 77.0%
  • Most prevalent race or ethnicity group: Asian (28.6%)
  • Est. typical home value, Nov 2023: $214,349
  • Est. population in 2022: 14,778

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