Which region of the United States has the largest concentration of African Americans?

City 2000%City 2010%
Gary, Ind. 84.0 Detroit, Mich. 82.7
Detroit, Mich. 81.6 Jackson, Miss. 79.4
Birmingham, Ala. 73.5 Miami Gardens, Fla. 76.3
Jackson, Miss. 70.6 Birmingham, Ala. 73.4
New Orleans, La. 67.0 Baltimore, Md. 63.7
Baltimore, Md. 64.3 Memphis, Tenn. 63.3
Atlanta, Ga. 61.4 New Orleans, La. 60.2
Memphis, Tenn. 61.4 Flint, Mich. 56.6
Washington, DC 60.0 Montgomery, Ala. 56.6
Richmond, Va. 57.2 Savannah, Ga. 55.4

*Cities with 100,000 people or more.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000; The Black Population: 2010.

Black or African-American Population for the United States by Region, 2002 Population/Demographics Selected Characteristics of the U.S. Arab Population, 2000

  • Population of the 20 Largest U.S. Cities, 1900–2012

Profile: Black/African Americans

Which region of the United States has the largest concentration of African Americans?

(Map of the US with the top 10 states displaying the
largest African American population according to the Census Bureau)

NY - CA - TX - GA - FL - NC - IL - LA - MD - VA

Overview (Demographics): In 2019, 40.6 million people in the United States were non-Hispanic black alone, which represents 12.8 percent of the total population. Blacks/African Americans are the second largest minority population in the United States, following the Hispanic/Latino population. In 2019, most non-Hispanic blacks lived in the South (58.7 percent of the black U.S. population), while 35.8 percent of the non-Hispanic white population lived in the South. The ten states with the largest non-Hispanic black population in 2019 were Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York, North Carolina, California, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana.

Educational Attainment: In 2019, as compared to non-Hispanic whites 25 years and over, 87.2 percent of non-Hispanic blacks had earned at least a high school diploma, as compared to 93.3 percent of the non-Hispanic white population. 22.6 percent of non-Hispanic blacks had a bachelor’s degree or higher, as compared with 36.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites. More black women than black men had earned at least a bachelor's degree (25.0 percent compared with 19.7 percent), while among non-Hispanic whites, a higher proportion of women than men had earned a bachelor's degree or higher (37.3 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively). 8.6 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have a graduate or advanced professional degree, as compared to 14.3 percent of the non-Hispanic white population.

Economics: According to the Census Bureau in 2019, the average non-Hispanic black median household income was $43,771 in comparison to $71,664 for non-Hispanic white households. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 21.2 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 9.0 percent of non-Hispanic whites were living at the poverty level. In 2019, the unemployment rate for non-Hispanic blacks was twice that of non-Hispanic whites (7.7 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively).

Insurance Coverage: In 2019, 55.9 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 74.7 percent of non-Hispanic whites used private health insurance. Also in 2019, 43.5 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 34.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites relied on Medicaid or public health insurance. Finally, 10.1 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 6.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites were uninsured.

Health: According to Census Bureau projections, the 2020 life expectancies at birth for blacks are 77.0 years, with 79.8 years for women, and 74.0 years for men. For non-Hispanic whites the projected life expectancies are 80.6 years, with 82.7 years for women, and 78.4 years for men. The death rate for Blacks/African Americans is generally higher than whites for heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and homicide.

Full Census Reports:
The Black Population: 2010 [PDF | 2.9MB]
Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2019 [PDF | 861KB]
Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019 [PDF | 1.45MB]
Projected Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2015 to 2060. Table 17
Census Bureau, 2021. 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

Last Modified: 10/12/2021 12:45:00 PM

Which region has the largest concentration of African Americans?

Over half of the Black population lives in the South.

Which US state has the most African Americans?

2020 census (single race).

Which states have the largest Black populations?

The 10 states where 60 percent of African Americans resided were: New York, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Maryland, Michigan and Louisiana. Five of these had more than 2 million Blacks each: New York, California, Texas, Florida and Georgia.