The 10 Kansas Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


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

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

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

  • Kansas City is 21.41% Black.

  • The least African American city in Kansas is Valley Center.

  • Valley Center is 0.0% Black.

  • Kansas is 5.4% Black.

  • Kansas is the 29th 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 Kansas is 159,382 – at 5.4% of the total population of Kansas.

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

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

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

The 10 Blackest Cities In Kansas For 2023

1. Kansas City

Kansas City, KS

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 155,745
% African American: 21.41%
# Of African American Residents: 33,344
Percent Change Since 2010: -16.54%
More on Kansas City:  Data | Cost Of Living

2. Junction City

Junction City, KS

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 23,033
% African American: 19.08%
# Of African American Residents: 4,394
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.42%
More on Junction City:  Data | Cost Of Living

3. Lansing

Lansing, KS

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

7
/10

Population: 11,321
% African American: 14.15%
# Of African American Residents: 1,602
Percent Change Since 2010: 45.5%
More on Lansing:  Data | Cost Of Living

4. Leavenworth

Leavenworth, KS

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

6
/10

Population: 37,216
% African American: 11.08%
# Of African American Residents: 4,123
Percent Change Since 2010: -21.57%
More on Leavenworth:  Data | Cost Of Living

5. Topeka

Topeka, KS

Source: Flickr User rustejunk | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 126,802
% African American: 10.13%
# Of African American Residents: 12,841
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.33%
More on Topeka:  Data | Cost Of Living

6. Bel Aire

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 8,148
% African American: 10.05%
# Of African American Residents: 819
Percent Change Since 2010: 26.58%
More on Bel Aire:  Data | Cost Of Living

7. Wichita

Wichita, KS

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

7
/10

Population: 394,574
% African American: 9.97%
# Of African American Residents: 39,354
Percent Change Since 2010: -3.29%
More on Wichita:  Data | Cost Of Living

8. Coffeyville

Coffeyville, KS

Source: Wikipedia User City of Coffeyville | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 9,032
% African American: 9.94%
# Of African American Residents: 898
Percent Change Since 2010: -29.24%
More on Coffeyville:  Data | Cost Of Living

9. Parsons

Parsons, KS

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

4
/10

Population: 9,652
% African American: 8.03%
# Of African American Residents: 775
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.32%
More on Parsons:  Data | Cost Of Living

10. Merriam

Merriam, KS

Source: Flickr User bob_brents1 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 11,110
% African American: 7.21%
# Of African American Residents: 801
Percent Change Since 2010: 4.57%
More on Merriam:  Data | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Kansas 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 Kansas.

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 Kansas. That left us with 58 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 21.4% 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. Kansas City took the distinction of being the most Black, while Valley Center was the least African American city.

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

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

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

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

  1. Valley Center
  2. Mulvane
  3. Ulysses

For more Kansas reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Kansas

Rank City % African American Population
1 Kansas City 21.41% 155,745
2 Junction City 19.08% 23,033
3 Lansing 14.15% 11,321
4 Leavenworth 11.08% 37,216
5 Topeka 10.13% 126,802
6 Bel Aire 10.05% 8,148
7 Wichita 9.97% 394,574
8 Coffeyville 9.94% 9,032
9 Parsons 8.03% 9,652
10 Merriam 7.21% 11,110
11 Bonner Springs 7.02% 7,858
12 Park City 6.6% 7,817
13 Lenexa 6.1% 56,755
14 Gardner 5.91% 23,065
15 Olathe 5.76% 140,339
16 Manhattan 5.58% 54,794
17 Garden City 5.23% 28,022
18 Independence 5.02% 8,584
19 Overland Park 4.93% 195,249
20 Shawnee 4.88% 67,021
21 Lawrence 4.74% 94,745
22 Mission 4.68% 9,884
23 Fort Scott 4.68% 7,579
24 Iola 4.52% 5,378
25 Arkansas City 3.73% 12,028
26 De Soto 3.7% 6,160
27 Atchison 3.69% 10,773
28 Hutchinson 3.37% 40,202
29 Salina 3.17% 46,896
30 Pittsburg 3.0% 20,667
31 Liberal 2.88% 19,340
32 Pratt 2.66% 6,618
33 Newton 2.56% 18,576
34 Winfield 2.56% 11,817
35 Concordia 2.39% 5,096
36 Emporia 2.38% 24,220
37 Dodge City 2.18% 27,899
38 Mcpherson 1.81% 13,916
39 Wellington 1.67% 7,745
40 Leawood 1.53% 33,748
41 Great Bend 1.53% 14,864
42 Roeland Park 1.48% 6,871
43 Abilene 1.48% 6,507
44 Paola 1.47% 5,733
45 Chanute 1.42% 8,737
46 Andover 1.39% 15,162
47 Derby 1.21% 25,365
48 El Dorado 1.1% 12,855
49 Prairie Village 0.92% 22,812
50 Ottawa 0.82% 12,592
51 Augusta 0.77% 9,299
52 Hays 0.76% 20,870
53 Colby 0.66% 5,434
54 Eudora 0.26% 6,457
55 Haysville 0.17% 10,887
56 Ulysses 0.12% 5,812
57 Mulvane 0.0% 5,676
58 Valley Center 0.0% 8,365
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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