Most African American cities in Maine research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Maine’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Maine 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 Maine is Lewiston based on the most recent Census data.
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Lewiston is 10.8% Black.
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The least African American city in Maine is Gardiner.
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Gardiner is 0.0% Black.
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Maine is 1.5% Black.
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Maine is the 44th 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 Maine is 21,093 – at 1.5% of the total population of Maine.
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 Maine? Which cities and towns in Maine have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?
We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Maine with the largest African American population in 2024:
Most African American Places In Maine
What’s the blackest city in Maine? The city with the largest Black population in Maine for 2024 is Lewiston. See if Lewiston 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 Maine or the most diverse places in Maine.
The 10 Blackest Cities In Maine For 2024
1. Lewiston
/10
Population: 37,577
% African American: 10.8%
# Of African American Residents: 4,058
Percent Change Since 2010: 240.15%
More on Lewiston: Data | Cost Of Living
2. Portland
/10
Population: 68,280
% African American: 8.56%
# Of African American Residents: 5,844
Percent Change Since 2010: 57.1%
More on Portland: Data | Cost Of Living
3. South Portland
/10
Population: 26,656
% African American: 6.82%
# Of African American Residents: 1,817
Percent Change Since 2010: 139.39%
More on South Portland: Data | Cost Of Living
4. Westbrook
/10
Population: 20,339
% African American: 4.26%
# Of African American Residents: 867
Percent Change Since 2010: 44.02%
More on Westbrook: Data | Cost Of Living
5. Bangor
/10
Population: 31,705
% African American: 2.45%
# Of African American Residents: 776
Percent Change Since 2010: 94.0%
More on Bangor: Data | Cost Of Living
6. Auburn
/10
Population: 24,038
% African American: 2.09%
# Of African American Residents: 503
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.29%
More on Auburn: Data | Cost Of Living
7. Saco
/10
Population: 20,446
% African American: 2.06%
# Of African American Residents: 422
Percent Change Since 2010: 502.86%
More on Saco: Data | Cost Of Living
8. Augusta
/10
Population: 18,938
% African American: 1.68%
# Of African American Residents: 319
Percent Change Since 2010: 450.0%
More on Augusta: Data | Cost Of Living
9. Biddeford
/10
Population: 22,438
% African American: 1.28%
# Of African American Residents: 287
Percent Change Since 2010: 15.73%
More on Biddeford: Data | Cost Of Living
10. Presque Isle
/10
Population: 8,772
% African American: 1.22%
# Of African American Residents: 107
Percent Change Since 2010: 33.75%
More on Presque Isle: Data | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Maine 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 Maine.
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 Maine. That left us with 19 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 10.8% 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. Lewiston took the distinction of being the most Black, while Gardiner was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Maine with the largest African American population.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Maine 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 Maine
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Maine according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Maine are Lewiston, Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Bangor, Auburn, Saco, Augusta, Biddeford, and Presque Isle.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Maine:
- Gardiner
- Old Town
- Caribou
For more Maine reading, check out:
African American Population By City In Maine
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewiston | 37,577 | 4,058 | 10.8% |
| 2 | Portland | 68,280 | 5,844 | 8.56% |
| 3 | South Portland | 26,656 | 1,817 | 6.82% |
| 4 | Westbrook | 20,339 | 867 | 4.26% |
| 5 | Bangor | 31,705 | 776 | 2.45% |
| 6 | Auburn | 24,038 | 503 | 2.09% |
| 7 | Saco | 20,446 | 422 | 2.06% |
| 8 | Augusta | 18,938 | 319 | 1.68% |
| 9 | Biddeford | 22,438 | 287 | 1.28% |
| 10 | Presque Isle | 8,772 | 107 | 1.22% |
| 11 | Waterville | 15,785 | 187 | 1.18% |
| 12 | Belfast | 6,953 | 71 | 1.02% |
| 13 | Ellsworth | 8,478 | 85 | 1.0% |
| 14 | Brewer | 9,633 | 43 | 0.45% |
| 15 | Bath | 8,775 | 22 | 0.25% |
| 16 | Rockland | 6,986 | 4 | 0.06% |
| 17 | Caribou | 7,454 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 18 | Old Town | 7,458 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 19 | Gardiner | 5,994 | 0 | 0.0% |
Could you possibly publish the dramatic increase in crime percentages in the cities you listed ?Tim J.
Pardon me for saying so, but you’ve taken the laziest possible approach to something this important. First of all, you left Sanford off the list. Second, and much more importantly, the entire State of Maine only has 23 incorporated cities. Everything else that looks like a city officially is a town. So you also left out Brunswick (20,000 people), Scarborough (19,000), Windham (17,000), Gorham (17,000), York, Falmouth, Kennebunk, Orono (home of the original University of Maine), Standish, Wells, Kittery, Cape Elizabeth, Lisbon, Old Orchard Beach, Topsham, Yarmouth, Skowhegan, Freeport, Buxton, Gray, Waterboro, Cumberland, Winslow, Berwick, Farmington, Hampden, South Berwick, Fairfield, Elliot, Oakland, Lebanon, Winthrop, Houlton, Hermon, Turner, New Gloucester, Rumford, Poland, Bridgeport, Bar Harbor, Paris, Lincoln, and Sabattus.