AUGUSTA – Gov. Angus King said Thursday that Maine’s standing as the least racially diverse state is nothing to brag about and he expects to see change over time.

New census figures show Maine is 96.9 percent white, the highest figure in the country. Just behind Maine are Vermont at 96.8 percent, and New Hampshire at 96 percent.

“I think we lose something by not having the diversity some other states have. I think we should be welcoming, as we have been, people of other racial and cultural backgrounds,” King said.

He said there are signs of Maine’s growing diversity, citing a visit from a Portland school class in which he saw only a couple of white faces among the group of children.

King said he expects Maine to grow more diverse over time. “It’ll be gradual,” he said.