Montgomery County is often described as diverse and now a new WalletHub study has placed four of the county’s largest cities in the top 10 most ethnically diverse in the United States.
The City of Gaithersburg retained its title as the No. 1 most diverse city in the nation for the second year in a row, according to the study by WalletHub, an online personal finance company based in Miami. Germantown placed third, Silver Spring came in fourth and Rockville was eighth–after New York City.
“It is a great honor to once again rank as the most ethnically diverse city in the U.S.,” Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman said Wednesday in a press release. “Our diversity is a source of pride, and it is a blessing that so many cultures call Gaithersburg home. We will continue to foster an atmosphere of inclusion that welcomes all.”
WalletHub looks at three key metrics, ethno-racial diversity, linguistic diversity and birthplace diversity to determine a city’s ethnic diversity score and ranking.
With an ethnic diversity score of 72.78, the City of Gaithersburg is also ranked third in the nation in linguistic diversity.
Gaithersburg’s diversity can be seen in its ethno-racial and linguistic makeup. According to data from WalletHub, 32% of Gaithersburg residents are white, 26% are Hispanic, 16% are Black and 21% are Asian. In addition, less than half of Gaithersburg’s population (48%) only speak English at home, with 23% speaking Spanish, 13% speaking other Indo-European languages and 14% speaking Asian or Pacific Islander languages.
Gaithersburg also ranked first in the Small City category for communities with populations less than 100,000.
In WalletHub’s 2023 ranking, Germantown was No. 2, Silver Spring was No. 3 and Rockville placed No. 13. Jersey City, New Jersey knocked Germantown into third this year.