Springfield ranks poorly on list of diverse cities

Springfield ranked near the bottom on a list of the most ethnically diverse U.S. cities published today by personal finance website WalletHub.com.

Based on ethnoracial, linguistic and birthplace diversity, Springfield ranked No. 434 among 501 cities examined for the list. The city scored 311th for birthplace diversity, referring to minority individuals who were born in Springfield; 426th for ethnoracial diversity, which tracks the percentage of minorities in the local population; and 431st for linguistic diversity, referencing language spoken in the area.

Documentation provided by WalletHub points to data showing Springfield’s population is more than 85% white and less than 5% each for people who are Hispanic/Latino or black. The data show nearly 95% of homes in Springfield only speak English, and that 3.5% of the population is foreign born, according to WalletHub.

No Missouri cities cracked the top 100 on WalletHub’s list. The other Missouri cities are are Kansas City, which ranked No. 182; St. Louis, No. 236; Columbia, No. 328; Independence, No. 382; St. Charles, No. 412; Lee’s Summit, No. 417; St. Joseph, No. 422; O’Fallon, No. 454; and St. Peters, No. 456.

No. 1 on the list if Jersey City, New Jersey, while last is Parkersburg, West Virginia.