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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 Louisiana is 1,475,549 - at 31.7% of the total population of Louisiana.
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 in the black population impacted Louisiana? Which cities and towns in Louisiana have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?
We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Louisiana with the largest African American population in 2023:
What's the blackest city in Louisiana? Baker took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Louisiana for 2023. See if it ranked as one of the most african american cities in America.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Louisiana 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 Louisiana or the most diverse places in Louisiana.
The 10 Blackest Cities In Louisiana For 2023
1. Baker
/10
Population: 12,736
% African American: 88.39%
# Of African American Residents: 11,257
Percent Change Since 2010: 9.96%
More on Baker: Real Estate | Data
2. Donaldsonville
/10
Population: 6,834
% African American: 82.22%
# Of African American Residents: 5,619
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.85%
More on Donaldsonville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
3. Tallulah
/10
Population: 6,357
% African American: 78.95%
# Of African American Residents: 5,019
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.99%
More on Tallulah: Real Estate | Data | Photos
4. Bastrop
/10
Population: 9,879
% African American: 78.45%
# Of African American Residents: 7,750
Percent Change Since 2010: -8.52%
More on Bastrop: Real Estate | Data | Photos
5. Opelousas
/10
Population: 15,884
% African American: 74.99%
# Of African American Residents: 11,911
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.29%
More on Opelousas: Real Estate | Data | Photos
6. Ville Platte
/10
Population: 6,488
% African American: 65.69%
# Of African American Residents: 4,262
Percent Change Since 2010: -16.17%
More on Ville Platte: Real Estate | Data | Photos
7. St. Martinville
/10
Population: 5,602
% African American: 59.85%
# Of African American Residents: 3,353
Percent Change Since 2010: -17.62%
More on St. Martinville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
8. St. Gabriel
/10
Population: 7,046
% African American: 59.84%
# Of African American Residents: 4,216
Percent Change Since 2010: 6.2%
More on St. Gabriel: Real Estate | Data | Photos
9. Monroe
/10
Population: 48,105
% African American: 59.64%
# Of African American Residents: 28,692
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.27%
More on Monroe: Real Estate | Data | Photos
10. New Orleans
/10
Population: 383,974
% African American: 57.63%
# Of African American Residents: 221,301
Percent Change Since 2010: 26.1%
More on New Orleans: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Louisiana 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 breakdown of race across Louisiana.
That lead 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*
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 58 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 88.4% to 0.8%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Black population with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Baker took the distinction of being the most Black, while Mandeville was the least African American city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Louisiana 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 Louisiana
If you're looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Louisiana according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least African American places in Louisiana:
- Mandeville
- Harahan
- Sulphur
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In Louisiana
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Louisiana
- Most Dangerous Places In Louisiana
African American Population By City In Louisiana
Rank | City | % African American |
---|---|---|
1 | Baker | 88.39% |
2 | Donaldsonville | 82.22% |
3 | Tallulah | 78.95% |
4 | Bastrop | 78.45% |
5 | Opelousas | 74.99% |
6 | Ville Platte | 65.69% |
7 | St. Martinville | 59.85% |
8 | St. Gabriel | 59.84% |
9 | Monroe | 59.64% |
10 | New Orleans | 57.63% |
11 | Natchitoches | 57.17% |
12 | Franklin | 57.1% |
13 | Shreveport | 56.41% |
14 | Alexandria | 55.17% |
15 | Baton Rouge | 53.22% |
16 | Plaquemine | 52.8% |
17 | Minden | 51.1% |
18 | Zachary | 50.07% |
19 | Carencro | 49.66% |
20 | Gonzales | 48.39% |
21 | Lake Charles | 46.17% |
22 | Bogalusa | 45.74% |
23 | Hammond | 44.22% |
24 | Rayne | 44.04% |
25 | Patterson | 43.47% |
26 | New Iberia | 42.93% |
27 | Abbeville | 42.48% |
28 | Ruston | 42.06% |
29 | Breaux Bridge | 40.33% |
30 | West Monroe | 40.3% |
31 | Leesville | 39.55% |
32 | Deridder | 35.8% |
33 | Eunice | 35.68% |
34 | Pineville | 34.44% |
35 | Marksville | 32.79% |
36 | Thibodaux | 31.27% |
37 | Gretna | 31.14% |
38 | Lafayette | 29.83% |
39 | Crowley | 29.22% |
40 | Bossier City | 27.76% |
41 | Ponchatoula | 27.69% |
42 | Oakdale | 26.51% |
43 | Jennings | 22.71% |
44 | Houma | 21.75% |
45 | Westwego | 20.71% |
46 | Kenner | 19.51% |
47 | Broussard | 19.49% |
48 | Morgan City | 18.71% |
49 | Slidell | 17.42% |
50 | Covington | 14.36% |
51 | Denham Springs | 14.24% |
52 | Youngsville | 11.56% |
53 | Walker | 10.33% |
54 | Central | 8.33% |
55 | Scott | 6.84% |
56 | Sulphur | 6.3% |
57 | Harahan | 1.93% |
58 | Mandeville | 0.79% |