Four Connecticut Cities Among Nation’s Most Diverse; Danbury, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport Lead the Way in New Analysis

The city of Danbury is the 10th most diverse city in the nation, according to a new analysis.  Also reaching the top 25 in the just-compiled rankings are the cities of Stamford, at number 16, Norwalk at number 21 and Bridgeport, which ranked 23rd.

Deeper in the rankings were New Britain (#64), Waterbury (#98), New Haven (#113), Hartford (#115), West Hartford (#225), and Bristol (#247).

Among the nation’s small cities, Danbury ranked as the 3rd most diverse, in the analysis by the financial services website WalletHub and released this week.  Norwalk was 7th among small cities, New Britain ranked 21st.  Among mid-sized cities, Stamford ranked 5th, Bridgeport 7th and Waterbury was 30th.

Midsize cities were those with between 100,000 and 300,000 residents; small cities have fewer than 100,000 residents.

Danbury’s official website includes a section aimed at “newcomers,” pointing out that “It is no coincidence that more families and young people are choosing Danbury as their home. As the best small city in the State of Connecticut to start a business, we continue to see low levels of unemployment and low crime. Danbury is an exciting city full of opportunities and adventure. By becoming a Danburian, you are now part of a great community that treasures our past and embraces our future.”

To determine the most diverse cities in America, WalletHub compared 501 of the most populated cities — limiting each state to no more than 10 cities each — across five key dimensions: 1) Socioeconomic Diversity, 2) Cultural Diversity, 3) Economic Diversity, 4) Household Diversity and 5) Religious Diversity.  The five dimensions were equally weighted, and each included multiple subcategories.

The socioeconomic diversity dimension includes household income and educational attainment; cultural diversity includes racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity; economic diversity includes industry, occupational and worker-class diversity; household diversity includes marital status, age and household size.

Ryan Muldoon, Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Buffalo, points out that “diversity - whether that is measured by race, religion, or immigration status - tends to lead to greater productivity and growth in cities.”  Adds Vanessa Gonlin, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Women’s Studies at the University of Georgia, “Local policymakers can emphasize the importance of advocating and supporting (rather than tolerating) diversity in their cities. When the majority group recognizes the positive contributions of diverse minority groups and minority groups feel (and are) supported, there is a greater likelihood for collaboration rather than competition.”

The most diverse cities in America, according to the analysis, were Houston, Jersey City, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Arlington, and Long Beach. Danbury and Chicago tied for 10th in the rankings.  Stamford, at #16, was between Yonkers, N.Y. and Clifton, N.J. 

Data used to create the rankings were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Association of Religion Data Archives.