Since its inception, the United States has been a majority White country, but it is increasingly becoming more ethnically and racially diverse. In fact, the White population is projected to lose its majority status by 2045. However, increased population diversity has not carried over into the government workforce in some areas of the country. This of course means that minority groups remain vastly underrepresented among government jobs in many metro areas. While the U.S. is often thought of as a melting pot, the reality is that minority groups continue to face significant barriers to accessing and advancing in government positions.

Non-White Americans make up nearly 40% of the population, but account for 36.5% of government workers. While Black Americans are slightly overrepresented in government, other minority groups—particularly Hispanics—are significantly underrepresented. Hispanics make up 18.2% of the total population but only 13.2% of government workers.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY and TN - In Middle Tennessee, the Murfreesboro area is lumped into the Nashville – Davidson – Murfreesboro – Franklin Metro Area and is listed under “Large Metros.” That said, it gives Rutherford County and the Nashville Metro Area a ranking of 138 on the list of 259 cities with the most minorities in government positions. According to the data, 27.5% of Nashville area residents are “Non-White” and 24.9% of government workers are listed as “Non-White,” giving a “Government Diversity Gap” of -2.6 percentage points.

The Memphis, Tennessee Metro Area was ranked at number 25 under “Large Metros” and received a positive 0.8 percentage points in the Government Diversity Gap category. Memphis was overall ranked at number 8 on the list, with number 1 being the highest. 58% Of Government employees in the West Tennessee city are listed as “Non-White,” while only 57.2% of Memphis residents are classified as “Non-White.”

Also ranked in Tennessee were the Chattanooga and Knoxville Metro Areas, both listed under “Midsized Metros.” In Chattanooga, the “Government Diversity Gap” equaled -4.1 points, while the Knoxville area received a -1.0 diversity gap rating. 23.1% of Chattanooga’s population is comprised of “Non-White” residents and 19% of their workforce is “Non-White.” Knoxville has 13.2% of residents that are listed as “Non-White” while 12.2% of their government workforce is labeled as “Non-White.” Overall, Chattanooga and Knoxville ranked at numbers 177 and 221, respectively.

Clarksville, ranked at number 93 on the list followed by Jackson, Tennessee at number 98, were both ranked under “Small Metros.” Clarksville received a positive Government Diversity Gap of 1.1 points and Jackson received a negative -7.3 score. Clarksville’s population is made-up of 33% “Non-White” residents, while 34.1% of the Government Workforce in Clarksville is categorized as “Non-White.” In Jackson, 40.1% of their population is “Non-White” and 32.8% of Jackson’s Government Workforce is “Non-White.”

Nationwide, some metro areas have diversity gaps as large as (negative) -19%, while some are at the opposite end of the spectrum with offsets as high as (positive) +8.7%, making the percentages unequally yoked. At the same time, some areas had an equal number of “White” and “Non-White” government workers throughout their population.  See the complete list of Metro Areas and find out how they compare HERE.

THE U.S. DIVERSITY GAP - The diversity gap—defined as the percentage point difference between the share of minority workers in the overall population and in the government—differs by level of government. In fact, minority government workers are slightly overrepresented in the federal government, where minorities make up 41.3% of workers. At the local level, however, minority government workers account for just 33.9% of the workforce, meaning the diversity gap is six percentage points. At the state level, the government workforce is also less diverse, with a diversity gap of five percentage points.

While minority representation in government jobs varies by race, ethnicity, and level of government, location is one of the most significant factors. The Southwest as well as parts of the Southeast and Northeast have the largest percentage of non-White government workers. The states with the greatest representation of minorities in government jobs are Hawaii and New Mexico, with 70.2% and 59.8% of government workers being non-White, respectively. On the other hand, the states with the least diverse government workforces are Maine, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, with only 6.2%, 7.7%, and 7.7% of government workers being non-White, respectively.

To determine the states with the most minorities in government, researchers at HomeandHamper.com analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers ranked states according to the percentage of government workers that are non-White. Researchers also calculated the percentage of residents that are non-White, the government diversity gap—calculated as the difference in the percentage of government workers that are non-White and the percentage of residents that are non-White, the total number of non-White government workers, and the total number of non-White residents.

TENNESSEE RANKING - The analysis found that 25.0% of government workers in Tennessee are non-White, compared to 36.5% nationally. Here is a summary of the data for Tennessee: 

• Percentage of government workers that are non-White:0% 
• Percentage of residents that are non-White:6% 
• Government diversity gap (percentage points):-1.6 
• Total non-White government workers:108,282 
• Total non-White residents:1,803,387 

United States Ranking - Here are the statistics for the entire United States: 

• Percentage of government workers that are non-White:5% 
• Percentage of residents that are non-White:9% 
• Government diversity gap (percentage points):-3.4 
• Total non-White government workers:8,276,344 
• Total non-White residents:130,309,232 

The Memphis, Tennessee Metro Area was ranked under “Large Metros” and received a positive 0.8 percentage points in the Government Diversity Gap category. Memphis was overall ranked at number 8 on the list, with number 1 being the highest. 58% Of Government employees in the West Tennessee city are listed as “Non-White,” while only 57.2% of Memphis residents are classified as “Non-White.”

Also ranked in Tennessee were the Chattanooga and Knoxville Metro Areas, both listed under “Midsized Metros.” In Chattanooga, the “Government Diversity Gap” equaled -4.1 points, while the Knoxville area received a -1.0 diversity gap rating.

Clarksville and Jackson, Tennessee were both ranked under “Small Metros.” Clarksville received a positive Government Diversity Gap of 1.1 points and Jackson received a negative -7.3 point score.

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on HomeandHamper.com’s website: https://homeandhamper.com/cities-with-the-most-minorities-in-government/