The 10 Minnesota Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in Minnesota have the largest African American population.

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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 Minnesota is 371,249 - at 6.5% of the total population of Minnesota.

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

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

  1. Brooklyn Center
  2. Brooklyn Park
  3. Waite Park
  4. New Hope
  5. Columbia Heights
  6. Hopkins
  7. Minneapolis
  8. Fridley
  9. Robbinsdale
  10. St. Cloud

What's the blackest city in Minnesota? Brooklyn Center took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota or the most diverse places in Minnesota.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Minnesota For 2023

1. Brooklyn Center

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 33,298
% African American: 31.93%
# Of African American Residents: 10,632
Percent Change Since 2010: 33.17%
More on Brooklyn Center: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Brooklyn Center, MN

2. Brooklyn Park

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 85,247
% African American: 30.04%
# Of African American Residents: 25,610
Percent Change Since 2010: 44.56%
More on Brooklyn Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Brooklyn Park, MN

Source: Public domain

3. Waite Park

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,245
% African American: 29.13%
# Of African American Residents: 2,402
Percent Change Since 2010: 619.16%
More on Waite Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Waite Park, MN

4. New Hope

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 21,683
% African American: 24.31%
# Of African American Residents: 5,271
Percent Change Since 2010: 176.11%
More on New Hope: Real Estate | Data | Photos

New Hope, MN

5. Columbia Heights

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 21,612
% African American: 21.65%
# Of African American Residents: 4,678
Percent Change Since 2010: 65.01%
More on Columbia Heights: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Columbia Heights, MN

6. Hopkins

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 18,861
% African American: 21.55%
# Of African American Residents: 4,064
Percent Change Since 2010: 68.91%
More on Hopkins: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hopkins, MN

7. Minneapolis

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 425,091
% African American: 18.21%
# Of African American Residents: 77,422
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.92%
More on Minneapolis: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Minneapolis, MN

8. Fridley

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 29,422
% African American: 17.69%
# Of African American Residents: 5,206
Percent Change Since 2010: 90.91%
More on Fridley: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Fridley, MN

9. Robbinsdale

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 14,522
% African American: 16.46%
# Of African American Residents: 2,390
Percent Change Since 2010: 42.18%
More on Robbinsdale: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Robbinsdale, MN

10. St. Cloud

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 68,430
% African American: 16.4%
# Of African American Residents: 11,220
Percent Change Since 2010: 146.11%
More on St. Cloud: Real Estate | Data | Photos

St. Cloud, MN

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

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*
* Not Hispanic or latino

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 139 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 31.9% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Black population with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Brooklyn Center took the distinction of being the most Black, while Wyoming was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

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

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

If you're curious enough, here are the least African American places in Minnesota:

  1. Wyoming
  2. New Prague
  3. Kasson

For more Minnesota reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Minnesota

Rank City % African American Population
1 Brooklyn Center 31.93% 33,298
2 Brooklyn Park 30.04% 85,247
3 Waite Park 29.13% 8,245
4 New Hope 24.31% 21,683
5 Columbia Heights 21.65% 21,612
6 Hopkins 21.55% 18,861
7 Minneapolis 18.21% 425,091
8 Fridley 17.69% 29,422
9 Robbinsdale 16.46% 14,522
10 St. Cloud 16.4% 68,430
11 Crystal 15.9% 23,143
12 St. Paul 15.77% 309,751
13 Faribault 14.24% 24,310
14 New Brighton 13.53% 23,293
15 Burnsville 13.48% 63,926
16 Oakdale 12.73% 28,019
17 Richfield 11.28% 36,899
18 Little Canada 11.22% 10,704
19 Willmar 11.09% 20,823
20 Bloomington 10.15% 89,436
21 Eagan 10.04% 68,205
22 North St. Paul 9.89% 12,395
23 Apple Valley 9.71% 55,237
24 St. Anthony 9.7% 9,145
25 Champlin 9.18% 23,877
26 Mounds View 9.04% 13,187
27 Maplewood 8.99% 41,673
28 Coon Rapids 8.85% 63,269
29 Rochester 8.8% 119,732
30 Shakopee 8.53% 43,396
31 Savage 8.51% 32,092
32 Anoka 8.01% 17,749
33 Worthington 7.84% 13,782
34 Spring Lake Park 7.69% 6,920
35 Blaine 7.64% 68,999
36 Falcon Heights 7.07% 5,388
37 Roseville 6.94% 36,119
38 Mankato 6.81% 43,938
39 Vadnais Heights 6.64% 12,931
40 Eden Prairie 6.54% 64,048
41 Maple Grove 6.45% 69,900
42 St. Louis Park 6.04% 49,539
43 Moorhead 5.97% 44,129
44 Albertville 5.88% 7,792
45 St. Joseph 5.75% 6,919
46 Marshall 5.38% 13,728
47 Austin 5.37% 26,030
48 Ramsey 5.33% 27,409
49 Golden Valley 5.07% 22,247
50 Cottage Grove 4.92% 38,582
51 Minnetonka 4.91% 53,809
52 Woodbury 4.8% 74,014
53 Plymouth 4.79% 80,034
54 Owatonna 4.52% 26,366
55 Inver Grove Heights 4.48% 35,539
56 Lake Elmo 4.33% 11,237
57 St. Peter 4.21% 11,699
58 Rosemount 4.2% 25,513
59 Lakeville 4.15% 69,026
60 Elk River 3.91% 25,467
61 Otsego 3.9% 19,565
62 West St. Paul 3.9% 20,476
63 South St. Paul 3.89% 20,637
64 East Grand Forks 3.74% 9,140
65 St. Michael 3.63% 18,148
66 Shoreview 3.61% 26,871
67 Crookston 3.33% 7,509
68 Big Lake 3.28% 11,614
69 Belle Plaine 3.11% 7,293
70 Forest Lake 2.99% 20,366
71 Hermantown 2.98% 10,128
72 Andover 2.96% 32,471
73 Mahtomedi 2.72% 8,041
74 Morris 2.64% 5,190
75 Lino Lakes 2.63% 21,180
76 Duluth 2.57% 86,711
77 St. Paul Park 2.55% 5,490
78 Victoria 2.55% 10,361
79 White Bear Lake 2.43% 24,520
80 Northfield 2.39% 20,374
81 Stillwater 2.32% 19,243
82 Montevideo 2.29% 5,360
83 Edina 2.24% 53,059
84 Farmington 2.23% 23,253
85 Red Wing 2.23% 16,596
86 North Mankato 2.2% 14,356
87 Hugo 2.14% 15,541
88 Fergus Falls 2.0% 13,969
89 Thief River Falls 1.98% 8,791
90 Hibbing 1.98% 16,224
91 Waconia 1.86% 12,773
92 Brainerd 1.84% 14,053
93 Winona 1.77% 26,199
94 Cambridge 1.66% 9,454
95 Albert Lea 1.59% 18,433
96 St. Francis 1.59% 8,099
97 Chaska 1.57% 27,461
98 Sartell 1.54% 19,096
99 Lake City 1.52% 5,120
100 Mound 1.43% 9,365

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Minnesota with the largest African American population.

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.