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 13.78% Black.
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The least African American city in Maine is Belfast.
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Belfast is 0.0% Black.
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Maine is 1.8% Black.
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Maine is the 43rd 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 24,846 – at 1.8% 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 2026:
Most African American Places In Maine
What’s the blackest city in Maine? The city with the largest Black population in Maine for 2026 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 2026
1. Lewiston
/10
Population: 38,324
% African American: 13.78%
# Of African American Residents: 5,280
Percent Change Since 2010: 342.58%
More on Lewiston: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Portland
/10
Population: 68,854
% African American: 9.07%
# Of African American Residents: 6,244
Percent Change Since 2010: 67.85%
More on Portland: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. South Portland
/10
Population: 26,930
% African American: 7.15%
# Of African American Residents: 1,925
Percent Change Since 2010: 153.62%
More on South Portland: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Westbrook
/10
Population: 20,775
% African American: 4.73%
# Of African American Residents: 982
Percent Change Since 2010: 63.12%
More on Westbrook: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. Auburn
/10
Population: 24,602
% African American: 3.46%
# Of African American Residents: 850
Percent Change Since 2010: 74.54%
More on Auburn: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Old Town
/10
Population: 7,470
% African American: 3.31%
# Of African American Residents: 247
Percent Change Since 2010: 461.36%
More on Old Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Bangor
/10
Population: 31,938
% African American: 2.85%
# Of African American Residents: 909
Percent Change Since 2010: 127.25%
More on Bangor: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Augusta
/10
Population: 19,077
% African American: 2.29%
# Of African American Residents: 437
Percent Change Since 2010: 653.45%
More on Augusta: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Saco
/10
Population: 20,819
% African American: 1.94%
# Of African American Residents: 404
Percent Change Since 2010: 477.14%
More on Saco: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Presque Isle
/10
Population: 8,736
% African American: 1.72%
# Of African American Residents: 150
Percent Change Since 2010: 87.5%
More on Presque Isle: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Maine 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 Maine.
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*
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 6,000 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 13.8% 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 Belfast was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh 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, Auburn, Old Town, Bangor, Augusta, Saco, and Presque Isle.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Maine:
- Belfast
- Rockland
- Caribou
For more Maine reading, check out:
African American Population By City In Maine
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewiston | 38,324 | 5,280 | 13.78% |
| 2 | Portland | 68,854 | 6,244 | 9.07% |
| 3 | South Portland | 26,930 | 1,925 | 7.15% |
| 4 | Westbrook | 20,775 | 982 | 4.73% |
| 5 | Auburn | 24,602 | 850 | 3.46% |
| 6 | Old Town | 7,470 | 247 | 3.31% |
| 7 | Bangor | 31,938 | 909 | 2.85% |
| 8 | Augusta | 19,077 | 437 | 2.29% |
| 9 | Saco | 20,819 | 404 | 1.94% |
| 10 | Presque Isle | 8,736 | 150 | 1.72% |
| 11 | Waterville | 17,077 | 264 | 1.55% |
| 12 | Gardiner | 6,088 | 90 | 1.48% |
| 13 | Ellsworth | 8,657 | 126 | 1.46% |
| 14 | Brewer | 9,652 | 124 | 1.28% |
| 15 | Biddeford | 22,498 | 203 | 0.9% |
| 16 | Bath | 8,815 | 41 | 0.47% |
| 17 | Caribou | 7,382 | 11 | 0.15% |
| 18 | Rockland | 7,035 | 6 | 0.09% |
| 19 | Belfast | 6,986 | 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.