The 10 Indiana Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the cities in Indiana with the largest African American population.

Most African American cities in Indiana research summary. We analyzed Indiana’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Indiana based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in Indiana is Gary based on the most recent Census data.

  • Gary is 77.88% Black.

  • The least African American city in Indiana is Cedar Lake.

  • Cedar Lake is 0.01% Black.

  • Indiana is 9.3% Black.

  • Indiana is the 22nd blackest state in the United States.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


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

Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in Indiana is 625,756 – at 9.3% of the total population of Indiana.

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. Most scholars and historians agree that increasing diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

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

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

What’s the blackest city in Indiana? The city with the largest Black population in Indiana for 2023 is Gary. See if Gary ranked as one of the most african american places in America.

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

The 10 Blackest Cities In Indiana For 2023

1. Gary

Gary, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Light (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 69,739
% African American: 77.88%
# Of African American Residents: 54,313
Percent Change Since 2010: -21.68%
More on Gary:  Data | Cost Of Living

2. Merrillville

Merrillville, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Dennisyerger84 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 36,196
% African American: 44.89%
# Of African American Residents: 16,250
Percent Change Since 2010: 14.06%
More on Merrillville:  Data | Cost Of Living

3. East Chicago

East Chicago, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Dennisyerger84 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 26,502
% African American: 36.48%
# Of African American Residents: 9,667
Percent Change Since 2010: -25.31%
More on East Chicago:  Data | Cost Of Living

4. Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 880,104
% African American: 28.46%
# Of African American Residents: 250,457
Percent Change Since 2010: 14.85%
More on Indianapolis:  Data | Cost Of Living

5. Michigan City

Michigan City, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Drew Jacksich from San Jose, CA, The Republic of California | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 31,965
% African American: 27.39%
# Of African American Residents: 8,755
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.5%
More on Michigan City:  Data | Cost Of Living

6. Lawrence

Lawrence, IN

Source: Wikipedia User NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 49,048
% African American: 25.94%
# Of African American Residents: 12,722
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.9%
More on Lawrence:  Data | Cost Of Living

7. South Bend

South Bend, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Khoa Huynh | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 102,786
% African American: 24.83%
# Of African American Residents: 25,517
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.37%
More on South Bend:  Data | Cost Of Living

8. Speedway

Speedway, IN

Source: Wikipedia User NaBUru38 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,613
% African American: 24.76%
# Of African American Residents: 3,371
Percent Change Since 2010: 83.31%
More on Speedway:  Data | Cost Of Living

9. Westville

Westville, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Light at en.wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,062
% African American: 22.76%
# Of African American Residents: 1,380
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.76%
More on Westville:  Data | Cost Of Living

10. Hammond

Hammond, IN

Source: Wikipedia User HammondMan | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 77,491
% African American: 21.61%
# Of African American Residents: 16,744
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.97%
More on Hammond:  Data | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Indiana 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 race breakdown across Indiana.

That leads 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 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 in Indiana. That left us with 113 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 77.9% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Gary took the distinction of being the most Black, while Cedar Lake was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Indiana with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Indiana 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 Indiana

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

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

  1. Cedar Lake
  2. Salem
  3. Auburn

For more Indiana reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Indiana

Rank City % African American Population
1 Gary 77.88% 69,739
2 Merrillville 44.89% 36,196
3 East Chicago 36.48% 26,502
4 Indianapolis 28.46% 880,104
5 Michigan City 27.39% 31,965
6 Lawrence 25.94% 49,048
7 South Bend 24.83% 102,786
8 Speedway 24.76% 13,613
9 Westville 22.76% 6,062
10 Hammond 21.61% 77,491
11 Griffith 17.26% 16,213
12 Fort Wayne 15.05% 262,676
13 Anderson 14.58% 54,459
14 Marion 13.92% 27,757
15 Evansville 13.54% 117,184
16 Elkhart 13.3% 53,838
17 Jeffersonville 11.62% 49,178
18 Terre Haute 11.31% 58,450
19 Kokomo 10.56% 59,263
20 Cumberland 10.55% 5,860
21 Muncie 10.47% 65,571
22 Hobart 10.02% 29,516
23 Brownsburg 9.07% 28,420
24 Beech Grove 8.99% 15,202
25 Lafayette 8.74% 70,928
26 Mishawaka 8.73% 50,823
27 Portage 8.6% 37,540
28 Schererville 8.31% 29,381
29 New Albany 8.27% 37,350
30 Avon 8.18% 20,848
31 Plainfield 7.82% 34,311
32 Crown Point 7.38% 33,518
33 Richmond 7.05% 35,854
34 Princeton 6.8% 8,337
35 Clarksville 6.36% 22,169
36 Highland 6.14% 23,695
37 Peru 6.13% 11,123
38 Vincennes 5.07% 16,892
39 Dyer 4.88% 16,422
40 Noblesville 4.75% 68,885
41 Lake Station 4.66% 13,292
42 Munster 4.56% 23,717
43 Greenwood 4.42% 62,914
44 Bloomington 4.33% 80,064
45 Washington 4.16% 12,015
46 Valparaiso 3.99% 33,820
47 Madison 3.93% 12,227
48 West Lafayette 3.69% 44,515
49 Charlestown 3.63% 7,859
50 Goshen 3.56% 34,792
51 La Porte 3.55% 21,993
52 North Manchester 3.25% 5,269
53 Danville 3.2% 10,424
54 New Haven 3.18% 15,922
55 Franklin 2.92% 25,112
56 North Vernon 2.84% 6,836
57 New Castle 2.82% 17,465
58 Carmel 2.8% 98,137
59 St. John 2.63% 19,805
60 Mount Vernon 2.58% 6,861
61 Chesterton 2.51% 14,045
62 Seymour 2.37% 21,192
63 Sellersburg 2.29% 9,686
64 Warsaw 2.19% 15,905
65 Bluffton 2.17% 10,548
66 Columbus 2.11% 50,718
67 Shelbyville 2.09% 19,710
68 Zionsville 1.98% 30,258
69 Gas City 1.97% 6,088
70 Connersville 1.85% 13,556
71 Tell City 1.84% 7,482
72 Greencastle 1.84% 9,980
73 Rensselaer 1.81% 5,963
74 Alexandria 1.76% 5,120
75 Plymouth 1.75% 10,209
76 Crawfordsville 1.65% 16,279
77 Rushville 1.54% 6,289
78 Greenfield 1.47% 23,024
79 Huntingburg 1.3% 6,534
80 Lebanon 1.12% 17,196
81 Ellettsville 1.11% 6,559
82 Jasper 1.0% 16,231
83 Huntington 0.94% 17,018
84 Logansport 0.91% 18,471
85 Garrett 0.91% 6,592
86 Tipton 0.9% 5,211
87 Brazil 0.88% 8,320
88 Angola 0.86% 8,916
89 Hartford City 0.64% 5,895
90 Portland 0.63% 6,334
91 Boonville 0.63% 6,662
92 Elwood 0.63% 8,295
93 New Whiteland 0.61% 5,565
94 Yor 0.58% 11,486
95 Columbia City 0.58% 9,390
96 Scottsburg 0.57% 7,203
97 Martinsville 0.54% 11,848
98 Decatur 0.47% 9,630
99 Batesville 0.44% 7,204
100 Linton 0.37% 5,155
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.

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