The Tolerance Index: How Does the Denver Region Rank?

Image from Atlantic Cities and Martin Prosperity Institute

Richard Florida frequently cites "the three Ts" of economic development: technology, talent and tolerance as powerful factors driving a place's economic success.  In two recent posts on the Atlantic Cities web site, Denver is ranked 19th among large U.S.  metro areas and Boulder is ranked 9th among all U.S. metro areas on the Tolerance Index.   Components of the index include the percent of  residents who are foreign born, the concentration of gays and lesbians, and the level of segregation between  racial and ethnic groups.

Florida believes that the causal arrow runs from tolerance to economic success and not the other way around.   You can see on the map above that the Denver Region is a bastion of darker purple tolerance in a relatively sparse portion of the U.S.