The 10 Iowa Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


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

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

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

  • Waterloo is 17.08% Black.

  • The least African American city in Iowa is Manchester.

  • Manchester is 0.0% Black.

  • Iowa is 3.7% Black.

  • Iowa is the 36th 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 Iowa is 116,206 – at 3.7% of the total population of Iowa.

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

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

What’s the blackest city in Iowa? The city with the largest Black population in Iowa for 2023 is Waterloo. See if Waterloo 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 Iowa or the most diverse places in Iowa.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Iowa For 2023

1. Waterloo

Waterloo, IA

Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR 2 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 67,695
% African American: 17.08%
# Of African American Residents: 11,563
Percent Change Since 2010: 13.88%
More on Waterloo:  Data | Cost Of Living

2. Coralville

Coralville, IA

Source: Wikipedia User American007 (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 22,226
% African American: 12.96%
# Of African American Residents: 2,880
Percent Change Since 2010: 66.76%
More on Coralville:  Data | Cost Of Living

3. Des Moines

Des Moines, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 213,545
% African American: 10.89%
# Of African American Residents: 23,252
Percent Change Since 2010: 20.12%
More on Des Moines:  Data | Cost Of Living

4. Davenport

Davenport, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Ctjf83 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 101,725
% African American: 10.74%
# Of African American Residents: 10,929
Percent Change Since 2010: 7.34%
More on Davenport:  Data | Cost Of Living

5. Fairfield

Fairfield, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Bill Whittaker (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,653
% African American: 10.39%
# Of African American Residents: 1,003
Percent Change Since 2010: 522.98%
More on Fairfield:  Data | Cost Of Living

6. Johnston

Johnston, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Iowahwyman | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 23,418
% African American: 9.87%
# Of African American Residents: 2,312
Percent Change Since 2010: 5680.0%
More on Johnston:  Data | Cost Of Living

7. Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 136,512
% African American: 8.6%
# Of African American Residents: 11,736
Percent Change Since 2010: 77.12%
More on Cedar Rapids:  Data | Cost Of Living

8. Iowa City

Iowa City, IA

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

8
/10

Population: 74,240
% African American: 8.2%
# Of African American Residents: 6,090
Percent Change Since 2010: 111.83%
More on Iowa City:  Data | Cost Of Living

9. Burlington

Burlington, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Loco Steve (original), Yassie (derivative work) | CC BY 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 24,160
% African American: 8.12%
# Of African American Residents: 1,963
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.82%
More on Burlington:  Data | Cost Of Living

10. Denison

Denison, IA

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

6
/10

Population: 8,323
% African American: 6.43%
# Of African American Residents: 535
Percent Change Since 2010: 469.15%
More on Denison:  Data | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Iowa 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 Iowa.

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 Iowa. That left us with 76 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 17.1% 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. Waterloo took the distinction of being the most Black, while Manchester was the least African American city.

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

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

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

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

  1. Manchester
  2. Red Oak
  3. Glenwood

For more Iowa reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Iowa

Rank City % African American Population
1 Waterloo 17.08% 67,695
2 Coralville 12.96% 22,226
3 Des Moines 10.89% 213,545
4 Davenport 10.74% 101,725
5 Fairfield 10.39% 9,653
6 Johnston 9.87% 23,418
7 Cedar Rapids 8.6% 136,512
8 Iowa City 8.2% 74,240
9 Burlington 8.12% 24,160
10 Denison 6.43% 8,323
11 Hiawatha 6.42% 7,184
12 Anamosa 6.23% 5,332
13 Fort Dodge 6.08% 24,826
14 Pleasant Hill 5.45% 10,203
15 North Liberty 5.15% 19,976
16 Mount Pleasant 5.09% 8,996
17 Clinton 5.05% 24,651
18 Urbandale 4.97% 45,037
19 Ottumwa 4.48% 25,379
20 Sioux City 4.48% 85,081
21 Fort Madison 4.41% 10,340
22 Storm Lake 4.22% 11,166
23 Dubuque 4.19% 59,379
24 Keokuk 4.1% 9,977
25 Perry 4.08% 7,836
26 Clarinda 4.06% 5,498
27 West Des Moines 3.86% 67,640
28 Clive 3.79% 18,323
29 Muscatine 3.42% 23,759
30 Estherville 3.35% 5,904
31 Le Mars 3.24% 10,462
32 Altoona 3.22% 19,345
33 Waukee 3.14% 23,441
34 Ames 3.06% 65,522
35 Oskaloosa 2.74% 11,552
36 Charles City 2.72% 7,399
37 Mason City 2.56% 27,385
38 Webster City 2.44% 7,825
39 Sheldon 2.41% 5,475
40 Grinnell 2.28% 9,481
41 Newton 2.21% 15,688
42 Waverly 1.97% 10,278
43 Marion 1.94% 41,023
44 Council Bluffs 1.93% 62,617
45 Bettendorf 1.83% 38,631
46 Winterset 1.79% 5,309
47 Washington 1.71% 7,314
48 Independence 1.69% 6,088
49 Maquoketa 1.6% 6,123
50 Oelwein 1.48% 5,961
51 Grimes 1.45% 14,842
52 Atlantic 1.44% 6,795
53 Marshalltown 1.41% 27,570
54 Pella 1.33% 10,414
55 Ankeny 1.32% 66,346
56 Norwalk 1.3% 12,592
57 Cedar Falls 1.26% 40,500
58 Decorah 1.25% 7,767
59 Boone 1.21% 12,509
60 Orange City 0.92% 6,214
61 Cherokee 0.86% 5,141
62 Algona 0.7% 5,407
63 Nevada 0.66% 7,017
64 Iowa Falls 0.64% 5,154
65 Indianola 0.62% 15,544
66 Eldridge 0.5% 6,634
67 Carroll 0.49% 10,261
68 Creston 0.49% 7,594
69 Knoxville 0.42% 7,537
70 Sioux Center 0.4% 8,090
71 Clear Lake 0.33% 7,673
72 Spencer 0.12% 11,292
73 Centerville 0.07% 5,353
74 Glenwood 0.04% 5,224
75 Red Oak 0.0% 5,576
76 Manchester 0.0% 5,077
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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