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 Florida is 3,078,918 – at 15.4% of the total population of Florida.
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 impacted Florida? Which cities and towns in Florida have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?
We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Florida with the largest African American population in 2018:
- Lauderdale Lakes (Photos)
- Lauderhill
- Miami Gardens
- Riviera Beach
- Quincy (Photos)
- North Miami (Photos)
- Belle Glade (Photos)
- Pahokee (Photos)
- Pembroke Park
- North Lauderdale
Lauderdale Lakes took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Florida for 2018.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Florida 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 Florida or the most diverse places in Florida.
How We Determined The Cities In Florida 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 Florida.
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 211 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 81.8% 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. Lauderdale Lakes took the distinction of being the most Black, while Longboat Key was the least African American city.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Florida 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. Lauderdale Lakes
Population: 34,321% African American: 81.82%
# Of African American Residents: 28,080
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.51%
2. Lauderhill
Population: 70,452% African American: 76.37%
# Of African American Residents: 53,804
Percent Change Since 2010: 6.1%
3. Miami Gardens
Population: 112,514% African American: 69.93%
# Of African American Residents: 78,678
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.23%
4. Riviera Beach
Population: 33,683 % African American: 66.38%
# Of African American Residents: 22,358
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.55%
5. Quincy
Population: 7,743% African American: 64.91%
# Of African American Residents: 5,026
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.67%
6. North Miami
Population: 62,158% African American: 59.21%
# Of African American Residents: 36,804
Percent Change Since 2010: 6.52%
7. Belle Glade
Population: 18,855% African American: 57.7%
# Of African American Residents: 10,879
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.56%
8. Pahokee
Population: 6,022% African American: 57.02%
# Of African American Residents: 3,434
Percent Change Since 2010: -6.28%
9. Pembroke Park
Population: 6,259 % African American: 54.03%
# Of African American Residents: 3,382
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.2%
10. North Lauderdale
Population: 43,087% African American: 53.72%
# Of African American Residents: 23,147
Percent Change Since 2010: 11.81%
There You Have It – Black Populations Across Florida
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Florida according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Florida:
- Longboat Key
- Gulf Breeze
- Treasure Island
For more Florida reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Florida
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Places In Florida
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In Florida
