New Ulm, a picture-perfect Minnesota town, was named America's least diverse community in 1980 when nearly all residents were white people of German descent. Over four decades later, the city still ranks among the whitest in the nation, even as the state's demographics have shifted substantially elsewhere.
Located about 100 miles outside Minneapolis, New Ulm earned the title of America's least diverse city in a study from California State University, which found 99.2 percent of its population was white. Today, that figure stands at 93 percent, far above many other Minnesota cities that have become considerably more diverse. The city now ranks as the 15th least diverse in America, with a large majority of residents from the same German families that settled there generations ago.
Demographic Context
Jeff Howison, senior research analyst at the Minnesota State Demographic Center, told the Star Tribune: 'New Ulm is not the least diverse in the U.S.A., but it's up there.' Describing the city as a 'very homogenous place by national standards,' Howison noted that New Ulm trails behind state and national averages for diversity. 'They're somewhat out of step with the larger demographic trends,' he said.
When the demographics study was conducted in 1980, New Ulm's 99.2 percent white population compared to 96 percent for the rest of Minnesota. However, today the state's demographics are around 76 percent white, compared to New Ulm's 93 percent. Nationwide, the 2020 census shows 56 percent of the US population is white, non-Hispanic.
German Heritage and Tourism
New Ulm is known for its strong ties to German heritage, and its website describes it as 'the most German town in America.' Tourist attractions include an annual Oktoberfest celebration and several German breweries. The city was named after the German city of Ulm by German settlers who founded it in 1854, and many families have remained for generations.
Darla Gebhard, a historian whose family has lived in New Ulm since the 1870s, told the Star Tribune that the heritage runs so deep that 'You didn't need English in New Ulm' for much of its history. 'Within families, everyone spoke German,' Gebhard recalled of her childhood.
Comparison with Other Cities
With New Ulm losing its status as the whitest place in America, the new titleholder is St. Mary's, Pennsylvania, which also has a high percentage of German heritage residents. In Minnesota, New Ulm's demographics fell from 99.2 percent white to 93 percent from 1980 to 2020, a far smaller shift than other cities. During the same period, Willmar went from 98.5 percent white to 58.9 percent, Marshall from 97 percent to 73.5 percent, and Northfield from 97.3 percent to 74.4 percent.
Gebhard explained that the key to New Ulm retaining its traditions is its links to German culture, which still fuels much of its tourism industry. 'Why do we cling to our German identity today? It's because it is worth money. It's a business,' she said.
