UTAH (ABC4) – Whether you’re a born-and-raised local or a brand new transplant, it’s no secret the landscape of Utah is changing in many ways.

As Utah’s population continues expanding, one city has been seeing a notable change in its residents, particularly when it comes to diversity.

A new study by Preply has pinpointed the U.S. cities seeing the most dramatic shift in racial diversity, with one Utah city ranking among the Top 4 cities throughout the country.

The study analyzed Census Bureau Data across 321 of the largest cities in America with populations of 100,000 people or more. The data looked at the period between 2010-2019.

The report arrived at its final results by looking at four factors to determine diversity:

  • Racial distribution: How a city’s population is divided into different racial groups.
  • Multiracial identity: The percentage of the population that identifies with two or more racial groups.
  • Bilingual identity: Population percentage of the population that speaks one or more languages other than English and speaks English “very well,” as defined by the Census Bureau.
  • Foreign-born: The percentage of the population that was not born in the U.S.

The report found one Utah city is among the top four cities seeing the most changes within its racial diversity throughout the period of 2010-2019.

The top four cities with the highest change in racial makeup are:

  1. Irving, TX
    The most represented race (white) made up 48% of the population in 2019, down from 61% in 2010.
  2. Kent, WA
    The most represented race (white) made up 47% of the population in 2019, down from 62% in 2010.
  3. West Valley City, UT
    The most represented race (white) made up 59% of the population in 2019, down from 79% in 2010.
  4. Warren, MI
    The most represented race (white) made up 68% of the population in 2019, down from 82% in 2010.

Overall, diversity is on the rise throughout the United States bringing with it the exposure to new cultures and new languages for local residents.

“Our survey found that, even in places where diversity was growing slowly, it was still growing, and that it was happening in cities across most geographic regions,” study experts say.

In general, these are the most increasingly diverse cities in the nation today:

  1. High Point, NC
  2. Irving, TX
  3. Kent, WA
  4. Davie, FL
  5. Clearwater, FL

Although most cities are seeing diversifying residents, some cities saw much less change than others. Based on the Census Bureau data, five cities are seeing the slowest rate of diversity change.

Cities where diversity is increasing at the slowest rate:

  1. El Paso, TX
  2. Oxnard, CA
  3. Lancaster, CA
  4. Pasadena, TX
  5. San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA

“While overall diversity is important, so is racial distribution,” the study says. “This examines how a city’s population is divided into different racial groups, including white, Black, Asian, and more. We analyzed racial distribution in each city to find where it was highest and has changed the most.”

Cities with the highest racial distribution:

  1. Hayward, CA
  2. Paterson, NJ
  3. Vallejo, CA

To check out the full report on the ever-changing landscape of America’s cities, click here.