The 10 Louisiana Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2026


The most African American cities in Louisiana are Baker and Tallulah for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most African American cities in Louisiana research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Louisiana’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Louisiana based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

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

  • Baker is 86.97% Black.

  • The least African American city in Louisiana is Mandeville.

  • Mandeville is 2.46% Black.

  • Louisiana is 30.5% Black.

  • Louisiana is the 3rd blackest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest Black Population In Louisiana Map


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 Louisiana is 1,407,844 – at 30.5% 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. 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 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 2026:

What’s the blackest city in Louisiana? The city with the largest Black population in Louisiana for 2026 is Baker. See if Baker 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 Louisiana or the most diverse places in Louisiana.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Louisiana For 2026

1. Baker

Baker, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Rab302 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 12,253
% African American: 86.97%
# Of African American Residents: 10,656
Percent Change Since 2010: 4.09%
More on Baker: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

2. Tallulah

Tallulah, LA

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

5
/10

Population: 5,969
% African American: 82.69%
# Of African American Residents: 4,936
Percent Change Since 2010: -12.47%
More on Tallulah: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

3. Donaldsonville

Donaldsonville, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Z28scrambler | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,831
% African American: 82.24%
# Of African American Residents: 5,618
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.86%
More on Donaldsonville: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

4. Bastrop

Bastrop, LA

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

4
/10

Population: 9,232
% African American: 77.79%
# Of African American Residents: 7,182
Percent Change Since 2010: -15.23%
More on Bastrop: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

5. Opelousas

Opelousas, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Z28scrambler | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 15,495
% African American: 76.46%
# Of African American Residents: 11,847
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.77%
More on Opelousas: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

6. Ville Platte

Ville Platte, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 6,253
% African American: 64.78%
# Of African American Residents: 4,051
Percent Change Since 2010: -20.32%
More on Ville Platte: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

7. Monroe

Monroe, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Caleb Long | CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 47,004
% African American: 59.75%
# Of African American Residents: 28,085
Percent Change Since 2010: -12.17%
More on Monroe: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

8. Shreveport

Shreveport, LA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 180,982
% African American: 55.95%
# Of African American Residents: 101,251
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.92%
More on Shreveport: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

9. Natchitoches

Natchitoches, LA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 17,577
% African American: 55.58%
# Of African American Residents: 9,770
Percent Change Since 2010: -7.3%
More on Natchitoches: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

10. Alexandria

Alexandria, LA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 44,060
% African American: 55.21%
# Of African American Residents: 24,326
Percent Change Since 2010: -12.75%
More on Alexandria: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Louisiana With The Largest Black Population For 2026

We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Louisiana.

That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 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 Louisiana. That left us with 57 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 87.0% to 2.5%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the 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.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Louisiana with the largest African American population.

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.

The blackest cities in Louisiana are Baker, Tallulah, Donaldsonville, Bastrop, Opelousas, Ville Platte, Monroe, Shreveport, Natchitoches, and Alexandria.

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

  1. Mandeville
  2. Harahan
  3. Sulphur

For more Louisiana reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Louisiana

Rank City Population African American Population % African American
1 Baker 12,253 10,656 86.97%
2 Tallulah 5,969 4,936 82.69%
3 Donaldsonville 6,831 5,618 82.24%
4 Bastrop 9,232 7,182 77.79%
5 Opelousas 15,495 11,847 76.46%
6 Ville Platte 6,253 4,051 64.78%
7 Monroe 47,004 28,085 59.75%
8 Shreveport 180,982 101,251 55.95%
9 Natchitoches 17,577 9,770 55.58%
10 Alexandria 44,060 24,326 55.21%
11 New Orleans 371,853 200,368 53.88%
12 Carencro 11,619 6,112 52.6%
13 Plaquemine 6,075 3,125 51.44%
14 Breaux Bridge 7,501 3,808 50.77%
15 Zachary 19,952 10,118 50.71%
16 Minden 11,455 5,780 50.46%
17 Baton Rouge 222,771 112,180 50.36%
18 Franklin 6,461 3,207 49.64%
19 Bogalusa 10,468 5,119 48.9%
20 St. Martinville 5,297 2,588 48.86%
21 St. Gabriel 6,639 3,004 45.25%
22 New Iberia 27,571 12,445 45.14%
23 Gonzales 13,108 5,859 44.7%
24 Hammond 21,539 9,340 43.36%
25 Ruston 22,284 9,631 43.22%
26 Lake Charles 81,143 34,381 42.37%
27 Abbeville 11,003 4,605 41.85%
28 West Monroe 12,729 5,237 41.14%
29 Patterson 5,744 2,292 39.9%
30 Rayne 7,105 2,736 38.51%
31 Leesville 5,495 1,978 36.0%
32 Eunice 9,239 3,045 32.96%
33 Ponchatoula 7,808 2,489 31.88%
34 Pineville 14,160 4,346 30.69%
35 Gretna 17,389 5,212 29.97%
36 Lafayette 121,715 35,285 28.99%
37 Deridder 9,763 2,744 28.11%
38 Bossier City 62,901 17,341 27.57%
39 Oakdale 6,546 1,798 27.47%
40 Jennings 9,553 2,328 24.37%
41 Westwego 8,335 1,974 23.68%
42 Thibodaux 15,732 3,633 23.09%
43 Crowley 11,422 2,606 22.82%
44 Slidell 28,561 5,594 19.59%
45 Scott 8,609 1,684 19.56%
46 Houma 32,392 6,315 19.5%
47 Kenner 64,904 11,021 16.98%
48 Morgan City 11,064 1,845 16.68%
49 Broussard 14,322 2,371 16.55%
50 Covington 11,658 1,917 16.44%
51 Denham Springs 9,323 935 10.03%
52 Central 29,783 2,915 9.79%
53 Youngsville 17,427 1,665 9.55%
54 Walker 6,390 594 9.3%
55 Sulphur 20,775 1,250 6.02%
56 Harahan 8,904 304 3.41%
57 Mandeville 12,946 318 2.46%
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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