The 10 Arizona Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in Arizona have the largest African American population.

The Black community is one of the fastest growing communities in America this decade.

There are now 42 million people who identify as Black or African American living in America, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in Arizona is 299,877 - at 4.2% of the total population of Arizona.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census's race and ethnicity definition. As most scholars and historians agree, an increase in the diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted Arizona? Which cities and towns in Arizona have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Arizona with the largest African American population in 2023:

  1. Tolleson
  2. Maricopa
  3. Eloy
  4. Avondale
  5. Florence
  6. Coolidge
  7. Tempe
  8. Phoenix
  9. Glendale
  10. Sierra Vista

What's the blackest city in Arizona? Tolleson took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Arizona for 2023. See if it ranked as one of the most african american cities in America.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Arizona ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in Arizona or the most diverse places in Arizona.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Arizona For 2023

1. Tolleson

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 7,180
% African American: 12.23%
# Of African American Residents: 878
Percent Change Since 2010: 109.55%
More on Tolleson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Tolleson, AZ

2. Maricopa

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 57,075
% African American: 12.07%
# Of African American Residents: 6,888
Percent Change Since 2010: 216.69%
More on Maricopa: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Maricopa, AZ

3. Eloy

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 15,171
% African American: 10.58%
# Of African American Residents: 1,605
Percent Change Since 2010: 104.2%
More on Eloy: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Eloy, AZ

4. Avondale

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 88,065
% African American: 9.37%
# Of African American Residents: 8,255
Percent Change Since 2010: 35.62%
More on Avondale: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Avondale, AZ

5. Florence

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 25,356
% African American: 9.36%
# Of African American Residents: 2,373
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.06%
More on Florence: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Florence, AZ

6. Coolidge

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 13,347
% African American: 7.13%
# Of African American Residents: 952
Percent Change Since 2010: -12.5%
More on Coolidge: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Coolidge, AZ

7. Tempe

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 178,862
% African American: 7.08%
# Of African American Residents: 12,671
Percent Change Since 2010: 89.37%
More on Tempe: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Tempe, AZ

8. Phoenix

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,591,119
% African American: 6.88%
# Of African American Residents: 109,498
Percent Change Since 2010: 26.56%
More on Phoenix: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Phoenix, AZ

Source: Public domain

9. Glendale

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 245,685
% African American: 6.85%
# Of African American Residents: 16,828
Percent Change Since 2010: 30.95%
More on Glendale: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Glendale, AZ

10. Sierra Vista

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 44,944
% African American: 6.62%
# Of African American Residents: 2,974
Percent Change Since 2010: 1.26%
More on Sierra Vista: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Sierra Vista, AZ

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Arizona With The Largest Black Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Arizona.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 54 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 12.2% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Black population with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Tolleson took the distinction of being the most Black, while Cottonwood was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Arizona ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across Arizona

If you're looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Arizona according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least African American places in Arizona:

  1. Cottonwood
  2. Somerton
  3. Wickenburg

For more Arizona reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Arizona

Rank City % African American Population
1 Tolleson 12.23% 7,180
2 Maricopa 12.07% 57,075
3 Eloy 10.58% 15,171
4 Avondale 9.37% 88,065
5 Florence 9.36% 25,356
6 Coolidge 7.13% 13,347
7 Tempe 7.08% 178,862
8 Phoenix 6.88% 1,591,119
9 Glendale 6.85% 245,685
10 Sierra Vista 6.62% 44,944
11 El Mirage 6.02% 35,410
12 Goodyear 5.81% 93,651
13 Chandler 5.43% 272,439
14 Surprise 4.97% 141,875
15 Winslow 4.54% 8,961
16 Tucson 4.43% 538,167
17 Mesa 4.2% 497,752
18 Casa Grande 3.81% 53,488
19 Gilbert 3.72% 262,249
20 Queen Creek 3.56% 57,728
21 Douglas 3.54% 16,470
22 Safford 3.1% 9,981
23 Peoria 3.01% 187,733
24 Marana 2.88% 50,834
25 Globe 2.56% 7,185
26 Youn 2.4% 6,908
27 Oro Valley 2.27% 46,515
28 Sahuarita 2.24% 33,524
29 Yuma 2.22% 95,154
30 Scottsdale 2.18% 238,685
31 Fountain Hills 2.13% 23,639
32 Kingman 1.85% 32,204
33 Bullhead City 1.55% 41,064
34 Apache Junction 1.52% 38,311
35 Flagstaff 1.5% 76,228
36 Page 1.37% 7,466
37 San Luis 1.18% 35,289
38 Guadalupe 1.16% 5,334
39 Litchfield Park 1.14% 6,656
40 Paradise Valley 0.73% 12,666
41 Payson 0.63% 16,229
42 Prescott Valley 0.63% 46,014
43 Benson 0.63% 5,252
44 Nogales 0.59% 19,829
45 Camp Verde 0.44% 11,942
46 Sedona 0.44% 9,723
47 Lake Havasu City 0.42% 56,510
48 Prescott 0.4% 45,063
49 Chino Valley 0.36% 12,854
50 Show Low 0.2% 11,623
51 Snowflake 0.18% 6,086
52 Wickenburg 0.1% 7,359
53 Somerton 0.01% 14,126
54 Cottonwood 0.0% 12,073

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Arizona with the largest African American population.
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.