Most African American cities in Indiana research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze 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:
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The city with the largest African American population in Indiana is Gary based on the most recent Census data.
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Gary is 77.37% Black.
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The least African American city in Indiana is Salem.
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Salem is 0.0% Black.
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Indiana is 9.3% Black.
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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 631,919 – 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 2024:
Most African American Places In Indiana
What’s the blackest city in Indiana? The city with the largest Black population in Indiana for 2024 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 2024
1. Gary
/10
Population: 69,136
% African American: 77.37%
# Of African American Residents: 53,491
Percent Change Since 2010: -22.87%
More on Gary: Data | Cost Of Living
2. Merrillville
/10
Population: 36,214
% African American: 45.55%
# Of African American Residents: 16,495
Percent Change Since 2010: 15.78%
More on Merrillville: Data | Cost Of Living
3. East Chicago
/10
Population: 26,363
% African American: 37.93%
# Of African American Residents: 9,999
Percent Change Since 2010: -22.74%
More on East Chicago: Data | Cost Of Living
4. Speedway
/10
Population: 13,646
% African American: 29.58%
# Of African American Residents: 4,037
Percent Change Since 2010: 119.52%
More on Speedway: Data | Cost Of Living
5. Indianapolis
/10
Population: 882,006
% African American: 28.51%
# Of African American Residents: 251,434
Percent Change Since 2010: 15.29%
More on Indianapolis: Data | Cost Of Living
6. Michigan City
/10
Population: 31,983
% African American: 26.9%
# Of African American Residents: 8,605
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.2%
More on Michigan City: Data | Cost Of Living
7. Lawrence
/10
Population: 49,218
% African American: 26.79%
# Of African American Residents: 13,185
Percent Change Since 2010: 23.22%
More on Lawrence: Data | Cost Of Living
8. South Bend
/10
Population: 103,084
% African American: 24.92%
# Of African American Residents: 25,691
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.31%
More on South Bend: Data | Cost Of Living
9. Westville
/10
Population: 5,885
% African American: 22.89%
# Of African American Residents: 1,347
Percent Change Since 2010: -7.04%
More on Westville: Data | Cost Of Living
10. Hammond
/10
Population: 77,390
% African American: 22.03%
# Of African American Residents: 17,046
Percent Change Since 2010: 7.88%
More on Hammond: Data | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Indiana With The Largest Black Population For 2024
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 2018-2022 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 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 77.4% 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 Salem was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2024. 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.
The blackest cities in Indiana are Gary, Merrillville, East Chicago, Speedway, Indianapolis, Michigan City, Lawrence, South Bend, Westville, and Hammond.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Indiana:
- Salem
- Kendallville
- Auburn
For more Indiana reading, check out:
African American Population By City In Indiana
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary | 69,136 | 53,491 | 77.37% |
| 2 | Merrillville | 36,214 | 16,495 | 45.55% |
| 3 | East Chicago | 26,363 | 9,999 | 37.93% |
| 4 | Speedway | 13,646 | 4,037 | 29.58% |
| 5 | Indianapolis | 882,006 | 251,434 | 28.51% |
| 6 | Michigan City | 31,983 | 8,605 | 26.9% |
| 7 | Lawrence | 49,218 | 13,185 | 26.79% |
| 8 | South Bend | 103,084 | 25,691 | 24.92% |
| 9 | Westville | 5,885 | 1,347 | 22.89% |
| 10 | Hammond | 77,390 | 17,046 | 22.03% |
| 11 | Griffith | 16,182 | 2,633 | 16.27% |
| 12 | Anderson | 55,011 | 8,495 | 15.44% |
| 13 | Fort Wayne | 264,514 | 39,674 | 15.0% |
| 14 | Marion | 27,528 | 3,828 | 13.91% |
| 15 | Evansville | 116,906 | 15,911 | 13.61% |
| 16 | Avon | 21,783 | 2,839 | 13.03% |
| 17 | Elkhart | 53,785 | 6,462 | 12.01% |
| 18 | Cumberland | 5,991 | 718 | 11.98% |
| 19 | Jeffersonville | 49,771 | 5,942 | 11.94% |
| 20 | Hobart | 29,573 | 3,308 | 11.19% |
| 21 | Terre Haute | 58,599 | 6,379 | 10.89% |
| 22 | Kokomo | 59,534 | 6,131 | 10.3% |
| 23 | Muncie | 65,167 | 6,569 | 10.08% |
| 24 | Portage | 37,737 | 3,538 | 9.38% |
| 25 | Plainfield | 35,078 | 3,271 | 9.32% |
| 26 | Lafayette | 70,828 | 6,542 | 9.24% |
| 27 | New Albany | 37,598 | 3,203 | 8.52% |
| 28 | Brownsburg | 29,379 | 2,482 | 8.45% |
| 29 | Mishawaka | 50,899 | 4,042 | 7.94% |
| 30 | Crown Point | 33,735 | 2,619 | 7.76% |
| 31 | Schererville | 29,573 | 2,291 | 7.75% |
| 32 | Highland | 23,794 | 1,800 | 7.56% |
| 33 | Clarksville | 22,087 | 1,496 | 6.77% |
| 34 | Beech Grove | 15,181 | 1,026 | 6.76% |
| 35 | Richmond | 35,642 | 2,269 | 6.37% |
| 36 | Munster | 23,731 | 1,437 | 6.06% |
| 37 | Noblesville | 70,442 | 3,751 | 5.32% |
| 38 | Princeton | 8,344 | 431 | 5.17% |
| 39 | Dyer | 16,407 | 778 | 4.74% |
| 40 | Vincennes | 16,715 | 790 | 4.73% |
| 41 | Bloomington | 79,006 | 3,722 | 4.71% |
| 42 | Valparaiso | 33,991 | 1,595 | 4.69% |
| 43 | Peru | 10,862 | 491 | 4.52% |
| 44 | New Castle | 17,413 | 787 | 4.52% |
| 45 | Madison | 12,301 | 542 | 4.41% |
| 46 | New Haven | 15,552 | 650 | 4.18% |
| 47 | Greenwood | 63,579 | 2,548 | 4.01% |
| 48 | Charlestown | 7,986 | 317 | 3.97% |
| 49 | Washington | 12,076 | 466 | 3.86% |
| 50 | West Lafayette | 44,861 | 1,622 | 3.62% |
| 51 | Franklin | 26,073 | 921 | 3.53% |
| 52 | North Manchester | 5,017 | 177 | 3.53% |
| 53 | Carmel | 99,453 | 3,452 | 3.47% |
| 54 | Tell City | 7,470 | 250 | 3.35% |
| 55 | Lake Station | 13,352 | 435 | 3.26% |
| 56 | Goshen | 34,704 | 1,128 | 3.25% |
| 57 | Danville | 10,842 | 346 | 3.19% |
| 58 | La Porte | 22,409 | 676 | 3.02% |
| 59 | St. John | 20,727 | 580 | 2.8% |
| 60 | North Vernon | 6,935 | 190 | 2.74% |
| 61 | Shelbyville | 19,678 | 537 | 2.73% |
| 62 | Bluffton | 10,461 | 278 | 2.66% |
| 63 | Greencastle | 9,865 | 256 | 2.6% |
| 64 | Zionsville | 30,832 | 796 | 2.58% |
| 65 | Warsaw | 16,473 | 405 | 2.46% |
| 66 | Alexandria | 5,144 | 115 | 2.24% |
| 67 | Columbus | 50,896 | 1,079 | 2.12% |
| 68 | Seymour | 21,373 | 450 | 2.11% |
| 69 | Rochester | 6,236 | 131 | 2.1% |
| 70 | Plymouth | 10,369 | 215 | 2.07% |
| 71 | Logansport | 18,166 | 335 | 1.84% |
| 72 | Gas City | 6,099 | 108 | 1.77% |
| 73 | Mount Vernon | 6,480 | 111 | 1.71% |
| 74 | Chesterton | 14,191 | 232 | 1.63% |
| 75 | Rushville | 6,412 | 96 | 1.5% |
| 76 | Greenfield | 23,669 | 350 | 1.48% |
| 77 | Huntingburg | 6,480 | 92 | 1.42% |
| 78 | Hartford City | 5,789 | 80 | 1.38% |
| 79 | Decatur | 9,718 | 132 | 1.36% |
| 80 | Connersville | 13,395 | 181 | 1.35% |
| 81 | Rensselaer | 5,330 | 70 | 1.31% |
| 82 | Crawfordsville | 16,335 | 212 | 1.3% |
| 83 | Tipton | 5,255 | 68 | 1.29% |
| 84 | Lebanon | 17,277 | 217 | 1.26% |
| 85 | Huntington | 17,017 | 212 | 1.25% |
| 86 | Sellersburg | 9,948 | 115 | 1.16% |
| 87 | Martinsville | 11,916 | 116 | 0.97% |
| 88 | Yor | 11,560 | 111 | 0.96% |
| 89 | Ellettsville | 6,653 | 63 | 0.95% |
| 90 | Nappanee | 7,276 | 57 | 0.78% |
| 91 | Elwood | 8,339 | 64 | 0.77% |
| 92 | Angola | 9,317 | 68 | 0.73% |
| 93 | Garrett | 6,434 | 46 | 0.71% |
| 94 | Frankfort | 15,976 | 106 | 0.66% |
| 95 | Monticello | 5,488 | 35 | 0.64% |
| 96 | Jasper | 16,488 | 104 | 0.63% |
| 97 | Batesville | 7,052 | 38 | 0.54% |
| 98 | Bedford | 13,802 | 72 | 0.52% |
| 99 | Portland | 6,432 | 33 | 0.51% |
| 100 | Boonville | 6,670 | 31 | 0.46% |
