Bellevue, Renton Far More Diverse Than Seattle, Study Finds

BELLEVUE, WA — Four of Western Washington's smaller cities were ranked among the most diverse in the state in a new survey from WalletHub, even more diverse than the state's biggest cities like Seattle and Tacoma.

Kent and Renton were nearly tied as the No. 1 and 2 most diverse cities in the state (Nos. 39 and 44 nationwide), followed by Federal Way and Yakima. Bellevue came in fifth place and No. 138 nationwide. Seattle came in seventh in the state and No. 180 nationwide — less diverse than Des Moines (the one in Iowa) and Midwest City, Okla.

WalletHub looked at 501 of the largest cities in the U.S., grading them on factors like socioeconomic, cultural, economic, religious, and household diversity.

Bellevue ranked highest for cultural diversity, coming in No. 44 nationwide. That means a big mix of races, languages, and places of birth. About 53,000 of Bellevue's 122,000 residents are foreign-born, according to Census data.

Renton came in No. 20 nationwide for cultural diversity, with 28,500 of the city's 90,000 residents foreign-born. And about 33,140 Renton residents speak a language other than English at home, according to Census data.

Seattle did score high in one category: socioeconomic diversity. The state's largest city was ranked No. 12 nationwide in that category, indicating a wide spread of education levels — from non-high school grads up to PhD candidates — and incomes.

Washington's least diverse city? Spokane. It ranked No. 404 nationwide, but did beat out nearby Coeur d'Alene (No. 429 nationwide).