As the American population becomes more diverse, so does the population of school-aged children. However, teacher diversity is not keeping up, and the diversity gap between students and teachers continues to widen.

According to 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 51 percent of students are not White. In comparison, non-White teachers account for less than 30 percent of teachers nationally. The teacher diversity gap, the percentage point difference between the share of students that are non-White and the share of teachers that are non-White, is nearly 22 percentage points.

For example, 12.5percent of students in the U.S. are Black, but only 9.6percent of teachers are. The gap between Hispanic students and teachers is even wider, with the proportion of Hispanic students (25.5 percent) more than double that of Hispanic teachers (12.0 percent).

On a geographic basis, the share of minority teachers and students varies depending on local demographics. That said, there is not a strong correlation between the share of non-White teachers and the teacher diversity gap.

For example, the Southwest has the greatest share of non-White teachers and also large diversity gaps. The Great Plains, Midwest, and New England states generally report lower proportions of non-White teachers, but diversity gaps vary widely.

To find the metropolitan areas with the most minority teachers, researchers at Smartest Dollar analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers ranked metros according to the percentage of teachers that are non-White. Researchers also calculated the percentage of students that are non-White, the teacher diversity gap, and the total number of non-white students and teachers. Only the 100 most populous metro areas were included in the analysis.

For example, the analysis found that in the DC metro area, 43.1 percent of teachers are non-White, while 65.6 percent of students are non-White - with a diversity gap of 22.6 percent. In the Baltimore Metro area, 31.9 percent of teachers are non-White, while 52.6 percent of students are non-White - with a diversity gap of 20.7 percent.

As the report alluded, gap patterns are not consistent, but must be looked at locally. Jacksonville, Florida has a much smaller diversity gap than Metro DC and Metro Baltimore. In Jacksonville, in the deep South, 37.8 percent of teachers are non-White, while 47.7 percent of students are non-White - with a diversity gap of 9.8 percent.

The Columns in this Table are Adjustable (click a column and then the up or down arrow to rank by diversity gap, non-white students, etc.)

Read the More