Census 2010: Census Tract in Cully Neighborhood is Most Racially and Ethnically Diverse Census Tract in Oregon; Multnomah County CT's Dominate Top 25.

USA Today has helped develop and update national and local racial and ethnic Diversity Index ratings for more than 10 years, including updates they have recently posted using Census 2010 data.

A racial and ethnic diversity index represents The probability that two people chosen at random in a geographic area would be of a different race or ethnicity (on a 0-100 scale). 

USA Today has posted on line databases for states, counties, and cities. I have used that data previously:

1. A recent post HERE focused on racial and ethnic diversity in Oregon counties and in cities with more than 20, 000 in population. 
2. In another post HERE, I focused on racial and ethnic diversity in 25 cities within the Metro Council jurisdiction. 

First Time--2010 Diversity Index Scores for 800+ Oregon Census Tracts

As a Fair Housing Month project I was pleased to discover that USA Today has also provided Census Tract level data on diversity index values that can be accessed for use by [paid] members of Investigative Reporters and Editors [I joined in hopes that they would have Census data in useful formats, so I am happy even with the additional cost of annual IRE membership].

Using the USA Today data provided via IRE I was able to construct a sortable Excel workbook HERE (see downloading tip in Note section below) with extensive data for 834 Oregon census tracts, including: 

• The 2010 AND census tract level diversity index values and rankings from highest to lowest. A yellow fill in a cell indicates a Diversity Index value that is lower than the State of Oregon Diversity Index value for that Census. 
• A column that shows the diversity index % change from 2000 to 2010 and a column which ranks that change from highest to lowest.
• 2010 population counts by race and ethnicity.
• 2010 occupied and unoccupied housing unit counts and vacancy rates.

CT 74, Click to Enlarge

Cully Neighborhood Census Tract Has Highest Census Tract Diversity Index in Oregon; Cully Neighborhood AND Multnomah County Census Tracts Dominate 2010 List of 25 Most Diverse Census Tracts in Oregon. Some additional observations:

1. The highest census tract level Diversity Index score in Oregon was Census Tract 74 in the Cully Neighborhood of Portland, with a score of 73.18. This means that nearly 3 times out of 4, a person in this Census Tract had a DIFFERENT racial or ethnic background than another random person from that same Census Tract. This Diversity Index score is 93% higher than the 2010 statewide average diversity index value of 37.94. 
2. Combining adjacent census tracts 75 and 76, which represent the remaining bulk of the Cully Neighborhood, the Diversity Index value for these 3 census tracts is 69.61, 83% higher than the statewide average. This makes Cully the most diverse neighborhood in Portland and in Oregon (using 3 contiguous CT's as the definition of "neighborhood').  [Maps and data HERE show the location and 2010 diversity index values for these three census tracts in the Cully neighborhood].  
   
3. Multnomah County has 18 of the top 25 census tracts with the highest Diversity Index values; it has NO census tracts with the lowest Diversity Index values.
4. Several census tracts within the top 25 Census Tract Diversity Index values are clustered together. In Multnomah County that includes the previously identified census tracts 74,75, and 76 as well as tracts 96.04, 96.05, and 96.06.
5. The remainder of the 25 census tracts with the highest diversity index values come from Marion County (4) and Washington County (3).
6. The Diversity Index score for the State of Oregon increased by 25.3% from 2000 to 2010. Percentage increases at Census Tract levels that are lower than the statewide average increase could be because their 2000 Diversity Index score was higher than the 2000 Oregon score of 30.27.
7. My opinion is that it would be an overreach to make judgments about individuals based on the Diversity Index scores for the census tracts in which they live. There are complex reasons why people live where they do AND our exposure to others is NOT limited to just those we would randomly encounter within our census tract. Nonetheless, it IS eye opening to see the wide range of census tract level Diversity Index scores.
8. Full disclosure: I live in a Lake Oswego Census Tract with a Diversity Index score of only 28.87, 24% below the 2010 Oregon statewide average.   
9. Census vacancy rates can be elevated by presence of second homes.

Notes: 

1. Filters are in place to allow you to filter the data in a wide variety of ways. 
2. Downloading Tip-This workbook was created in Excel 2007 format.Some users report when they cannot direct view Excel files in this format from within their browser and that Excel files they save end up with a compressed .zip file extension. My suggestion is to RIGHT CLICK and save the file to your PC. Then navigate to the file you downloaded and look at its file extension. IF it appears as .ZIP extension, change the .ZIP extension to an Excel 2007 extension (.xlsx), and THEN open the file with Excel 2007/2010.
3. I have NOT locked or password protected any cells. However, I HAVE made a copy of the original download and put it in a separate worksheet. I suggest you work with that copied worksheet so that if necessary you can go back to retrieve the original worksheet.
4. A handful of 2010 census tracts did not have population data when downloaded and Diversity Index values could therefore not be calculated.
5. Big kudos to USA Today for doing the significant work to extract diversity related data from the 2010 Census AND for making it available on line and to others (IRE) in usable formats.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog