During the last three decades, the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse.  Brown University examined this trend using data spanning the 1980-2010 period which determined: (a) the pervasiveness of diversity across America, focusing on metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas and places, and (b) the community characteristics that correlate with diversity.

Researchers found that almost all communities—whether large immigrant gateways or small towns—have grown more diverse. However, the data show a wide range of diversity pro¬files, from predominantly white communities (a shrinking number) to minority-majority and no-majority ones (an increasing number).

While surging Hispanic and Asian populations often drive these patterns, other groups, including African immigrants, Native Americans, and multi-racial
individuals, contribute to the distinctive mixes evident from one community to the next.

As for the drivers of diversity, communities with large populations, abundant rental housing, and a range of jobs are more diverse. So are those where the government and/or the military is a key employer. Locationally, diversity tends to be higher in coastal regions and along the southern border.

In short, the researchers concluded a growing number of Americans now live in communities where multiple groups—Hispanics, blacks, and Asians as well as whites—are present in significant proportions.

Click here to read the entire study “American Communities Project of Brown University.”