Survey: These are the most (and least) diverse states in the country

New data from WalletHub shows that California is the most diverse state in the country, with a “total score” of 70.89.

The company took a look at all 50 states in terms of these six factors: “Economic Diversity,” “Socio-economic Diversity,” “Religious Diversity,” “Cultural Diversity,” “Household Diversity” and “Political Diversity.” It then examined them further in terms of 14 other factors before eventually giving each state a “total score” out of 100. WalletHub also used a practice called “the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index method,” and information from the U.S. Census Bureau, among other sources.

Here are the top 10 most diverse states in America

1) California (total score: 70.89)

2) Texas (total score: 70.00)

3) Hawaii (total score: 69.69)

4) New Jersey (total score: 69.38)

5) New York (total score: 69.21)

6) New Mexico (total score: 69.13)

7) Maryland (total score: 68.64)

8) Florida (total score: 68.18)

9) Nevada (total score: 68.00)

10) Illinois (total score: 67.93)

West Virginia was found to be the least diverse state in America with a score of 58.29.

How states rank in terms of different types of diversity

Here’s where different states rank within these categories: “Worker Class Diversity,” “Industry Diversity,” “Linguistic Diversity,” “Racial & Ethnic Diversity” and “Educational-Attainment Diversity,” including the top and bottom three of each:

Worker Class Diversity (best to worst):

1) Alaska
2) New Mexico
3) Montana

48) Michigan
49) Pennsylvania
50) Indiana

Industry Diversity (best to worst):

1) Texas
2) Oklahoma
3) California

48) Vermont
49) Rhode Island
50) Massachusetts

Linguistic Diversity (best to worst):

1) California
2) New Mexico
3) Texas

48) Montana
49) Mississippi
50) West Virginia

Racial & Ethnic Diversity (best to worst):

1) Hawaii
2) California
3) Texas

48) West Virginia
49) Vermont
50) Maine

Educational-Attainment Diversity (best to worst):

1) Massachusetts
2) California
3) New York

48) Iowa
49) West Virginia
50) Wyoming

How the states stack up to each other

Check out the infographic, which includes some of the information above, plus other categories:

Here’s what it’s like living in a state with high diversity

Marcus M. Stuart, Associate Professor of Management at Bentley University, answered WalletHub’s question about “the pros and cons of living in a diverse state.”

“Theoretically, the pros include factors such as a more diverse economy and, a wider array of talent and skill sets among the labor force. Such factors would seem to support entrepreneurship and other social and economic innovation. Theoretically, the cons include factors such as difficulty finding common ground with regard to social and economic priorities (policy) due to divergent values. Socio-economic diversity can strain public resources, bring attention to economic disparity, and foster discord among groups,” Stuart told the site.