These Are The 10 Arkansas Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2018

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 Arkansas is 457,822 – at 15.4% of the total population of Arkansas.

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 Arkansas? Which cities and towns in Arkansas have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Arkansas with the largest African American population in 2018:

1. Pine Bluff (Photos)
2. Helena-West Helena (Photos)
3. Forrest City (Photos)
4. West Memphis (Photos)
5. Blytheville (Photos)
6. Camden (Photos)
7. Osceola (Photos)
8. El Dorado (Photos)
9. Hope (Photos)
10. North Little Rock (Photos)

Pine Bluff took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Arkansas for 2018. 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas or the most diverse places in Arkansas.

How We Determined The Cities In Arkansas With The Largest Black Population For 2018

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 Arkansas.

That lead us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2012-2016 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*

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 59 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 76.6% 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. Pine Bluff took the distinction of being the most Black, while Farmington was the least African American city.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Arkansas 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.

1. Pine Bluff

Population: 45,404
% African American: 76.59%
# Of African American Residents: 34,775
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.74%
More on Pine Bluff: Data | Jobs

Pine Bluff is the tenth-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combined Statistical Area. The population of the city was 49,083 in the 2010 Census with 2016 estmates showing a decline to 43,841.

2. Helena-West Helena

Population: 11,325
% African American: 76.29%
# Of African American Residents: 8,640
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.86%
More on Helena-West Helena: Data | Jobs

Helena-West Helena is the county seat of and the largest city within Phillips County, Arkansas, United States. The current city was consolidated, effective January 1, 2006, from the two Arkansas cities of Helena and West Helena. Helena is sited on lowlands between the Mississippi River and the eastern side of Crowley’s Ridge. West Helena is located on the western side of Crowley’s Ridge, a geographic anomaly in the typically flat Arkansas Delta. The Helena Bridge, one of Arkansas’ four Mississippi River bridges, carries U.S. Route 49 across to Mississippi. The combined population of the two cities was 15,012 at the 2000 census and at the 2010 census, the official population was 12,282.

3. Forrest City

Population: 14,871
% African American: 65.08%
# Of African American Residents: 9,678
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.95%
More on Forrest City: Data | Jobs

Forrest City is a city in St. Francis County, Arkansas, United States, and the county seat. It was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who used the location as a campsite for a construction crew completing a railroad between Memphis and Little Rock, shortly after the Civil War. The population was 15,371 at the 2010 census, an increase from 14,774 in 2000. The city refers to itself as the “Jewel of the Delta”.

4. West Memphis

Population: 25,411
% African American: 63.38%
# Of African American Residents: 16,105
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.52%
More on West Memphis: Data | Jobs

West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 26,245 at the 2010 census, ranking it as the state’s 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, and is located directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis.

5. Blytheville

Population: 14,849
% African American: 59.0%
# Of African American Residents: 8,761
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.71%
More on Blytheville: Data | Jobs

Blytheville is the largest city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Blytheville is approximately 60 miles north of West Memphis. The population was 18,272 at the 2000 census.

6. Camden

Population: 11,515
% African American: 55.48%
# Of African American Residents: 6,389
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.35%
More on Camden: Data | Jobs

Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas.

7. Osceola

Population: 7,315
% African American: 53.0%
# Of African American Residents: 3,877
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.36%
More on Osceola: Data | Jobs

Osceola is a city in and one of the two county seats of Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Located along the Mississippi River within the Arkansas delta, the settlement was founded in 1837 and incorporated in 1853. Occupying an important location on the river, the city’s economy grew as steamboat traffic increased. Timber and cotton harvesting would develop, and the city experienced rapid growth and development throughout the early 20th century. The city’s economy has since diversified to include a robust industrial sector. The population was 7,757 at the 2010 census.

8. El Dorado

Population: 18,393
% African American: 49.5%
# Of African American Residents: 9,105
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.48%
More on El Dorado: Data | Jobs

9. Hope

Population: 9,968
% African American: 44.87%
# Of African American Residents: 4,473
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.29%
More on Hope: Data | Jobs

Hope is a city in Hempstead County in southwestern Arkansas, United States. Hope is the county seat of Hempstead County and the principal city of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Hempstead and Nevada counties. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,095, and in 2015 the population was estimated at 9,891.

10. North Little Rock

Population: 66,042
% African American: 42.51%
# Of African American Residents: 28,072
Percent Change Since 2010: 16.14%
More on North Little Rock: Data | Jobs

North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, across the Arkansas River from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 62,304 at the 2010 census. North Little Rock, along with Little Rock and Conway, anchors the six-county Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is further included in the Little Rock-North Little Rock Combined Statistical Area with 902,443 residents.

There You Have It – Black Populations Across Arkansas

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

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Arkansas:

1. Farmington
2. Greenwood
3. Mena

For more Arkansas reading, check out:

• 10 Worst Places To Live In Arkansas
• 10 Safest Places In Arkansas
• 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas

Detailed List Of The Most African American Cities In Arkansas

Rank	City	Population	% African American
1	Pine Bluff	45,404	76.59%
2	Helena-West Helena	11,325	76.29%
3	Forrest City	14,871	65.08%
4	West Memphis	25,411	63.38%
5	Blytheville	14,849	59.0%
6	Camden	11,515	55.48%
7	Osceola	7,315	53.0%
8	El Dorado	18,393	49.5%
9	Hope	9,968	44.87%
10	North Little Rock	66,042	42.51%
11	Little Rock	197,640	41.63%
12	Magnolia	11,651	39.93%
13	Warren	5,804	39.7%
14	Monticello	9,752	38.58%
15	Stuttgart	9,125	38.47%
16	Crossett	5,272	38.11%
17	Jacksonville	28,661	36.74%
18	Texarkana	30,155	33.91%
19	Wynne	8,195	32.92%
20	Marion	12,323	31.32%
21	Malvern	10,937	31.1%
22	Newport	7,781	28.33%
23	Arkadelphia	10,728	27.93%
24	Morrilton	6,746	20.41%
25	Sherwood	30,251	19.27%
26	Jonesboro	72,638	19.26%
27	Hot Springs	36,711	17.82%
28	Conway	64,184	16.21%
29	Maumelle	17,795	15.57%
30	White Hall	5,243	15.45%
31	Bryant	19,529	9.75%
32	Fort Smith	87,712	9.26%
33	Searcy	23,969	8.92%
34	Benton	33,613	7.07%
35	De Queen	6,657	6.65%
36	Beebe	7,952	6.51%
37	Fayetteville	80,552	6.27%
38	Russellville	29,136	5.48%
39	Trumann	7,143	5.45%
40	Clarksville	9,391	3.98%
41	Centerton	11,403	3.89%
42	Batesville	10,579	3.78%
43	Springdale	76,188	2.67%
44	Bentonville	42,499	2.65%
45	Pocahontas	6,470	2.21%
46	Van Buren	23,155	1.9%
47	Siloam Springs	16,095	1.7%
48	Alma	5,599	1.54%
49	Paragould	27,521	1.3%
50	Rogers	61,979	1.23%
51	Cabot	25,407	1.17%
52	Heber Springs	7,169	0.85%
53	Harrison	13,168	0.84%
54	Berryville	5,370	0.74%
55	Lowell	8,322	0.71%
56	Mountain Home	12,312	0.35%
57	Mena	5,674	0.14%
58	Greenwood	9,296	0.06%
59	Farmington	6,470	0.0%