East-West Gateway’s July 2023 Map of the Month depicts racial diversity in the East-West Gateway region by census tract. The diversity index is a measure of racial integration that indicates if people of different races (White, Black, and nonblack minorities) live in the same neighborhood by measuring the probability that two people chosen at random will be from different racial and ethnic groups. Census tracts with a higher value on the index are more diverse. The diversity index for the St. Louis region was 44.1 for the 5-year 2017-2021 period, an increase from 41.1 for the 5-year 2011-2015 period.
The diversity of the region has increased in part due to revisions made to the questions asked on the 2020 decennial census form. The decennial census asks people to report which races(s) and ethnicities with which they identify. This information is used to study historic racial injustices as well as to assist in the redrawing of state and federal voting districts to better allocate federal resources.
In 2020, the Census Bureau revised the questions to provide a more thorough and accurate depiction of how people self-identify. The Census revises how race is recorded to keep up with the continuously evolving understanding of race in the United States. More information on the evolving Census question can be found here: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/01/26/initial-proposals-for-revising-the-federal-race-and-ethnicity-standards/ and more on where St. Louis stands on race and ethnicity can be found here.