The 10 New York Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in New York 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 New York is 2,797,225 - at 13.9% of the total population of New York.

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

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

  1. Mount Vernon
  2. Hempstead
  3. Rochester
  4. Spring Valley
  5. Buffalo
  6. Poughkeepsie
  7. Freeport
  8. Syracuse
  9. Valley Stream
  10. Albany

What's the blackest city in New York? Mount Vernon took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in New York 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 New York 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 New York or the most diverse places in New York.

The 10 Blackest Cities In New York For 2023

1. Mount Vernon

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 72,855
% African American: 58.21%
# Of African American Residents: 42,408
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.97%
More on Mount Vernon: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Mount Vernon, NY

Source: Public domain

2. Hempstead

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 58,532
% African American: 46.3%
# Of African American Residents: 27,102
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.1%
More on Hempstead: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hempstead, NY

Source: Public domain

3. Rochester

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 211,100
% African American: 36.26%
# Of African American Residents: 76,538
Percent Change Since 2010: -8.15%
More on Rochester: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Rochester, NY

4. Spring Valley

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 32,953
% African American: 33.09%
# Of African American Residents: 10,903
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.72%
More on Spring Valley: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Spring Valley, NY

5. Buffalo

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 276,011
% African American: 32.31%
# Of African American Residents: 89,189
Percent Change Since 2010: -11.11%
More on Buffalo: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Buffalo, NY

6. Poughkeepsie

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 31,475
% African American: 30.9%
# Of African American Residents: 9,725
Percent Change Since 2010: -17.11%
More on Poughkeepsie: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Poughkeepsie, NY

Source: Public domain

7. Freeport

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 44,328
% African American: 29.75%
# Of African American Residents: 13,187
Percent Change Since 2010: 4.58%
More on Freeport: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Freeport, NY

8. Syracuse

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 146,781
% African American: 27.54%
# Of African American Residents: 40,430
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.47%
More on Syracuse: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Syracuse, NY

9. Valley Stream

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 40,304
% African American: 26.52%
# Of African American Residents: 10,689
Percent Change Since 2010: 76.21%
More on Valley Stream: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Valley Stream, NY

Source: Public domain

10. Albany

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 99,402
% African American: 26.17%
# Of African American Residents: 26,018
Percent Change Since 2010: -7.48%
More on Albany: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Albany, NY

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In New York 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 New York.

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 164 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 58.2% 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. Mount Vernon took the distinction of being the most Black, while Lancaster was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in New York 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 New York

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

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

  1. Lancaster
  2. New Square
  3. East Hills

For more New York reading, check out:

African American Population By City In New York

Rank City % African American Population
1 Mount Vernon 58.21% 72,855
2 Hempstead 46.3% 58,532
3 Rochester 36.26% 211,100
4 Spring Valley 33.09% 32,953
5 Buffalo 32.31% 276,011
6 Poughkeepsie 30.9% 31,475
7 Freeport 29.75% 44,328
8 Syracuse 27.54% 146,781
9 Valley Stream 26.52% 40,304
10 Albany 26.17% 99,402
11 Monticello 23.31% 7,199
12 Newburgh 21.49% 28,834
13 New York 21.11% 8,736,047
14 Hudson 20.77% 5,964
15 Peekskill 20.39% 25,304
16 Niagara Falls 19.73% 48,763
17 Middletown 19.36% 30,086
18 Nyack 19.13% 7,303
19 New Rochelle 19.03% 80,685
20 Westbury 18.9% 15,772
21 Schenectady 17.8% 66,809
22 Troy 16.43% 50,717
23 Walden 16.27% 6,841
24 Yonkers 15.63% 209,730
25 Lackawanna 14.8% 19,697
26 Kingston 14.61% 23,972
27 Utica 14.55% 64,723
28 West Haverstraw 14.01% 10,665
29 Suffern 13.84% 11,376
30 Beacon 12.75% 13,713
31 Binghamton 12.46% 47,828
32 White Plains 11.93% 59,452
33 Chestnut Ridge 11.85% 10,211
34 New Hempstead 11.84% 5,440
35 Elmira 11.66% 26,737
36 Ossining 11.07% 27,368
37 Amityville 10.94% 9,542
38 Wappingers Falls 10.87% 6,074
39 Washingtonville 9.58% 5,782
40 Watervliet 9.28% 10,363
41 Ogdensburg 9.26% 10,153
42 Endicott 9.18% 13,588
43 Lockport 9.12% 20,876
44 Woodbury 9.08% 11,206
45 Albion 8.77% 5,281
46 East Rockaway 8.66% 10,108
47 Auburn 7.79% 26,913
48 Webster 7.49% 5,717
49 Brockport 7.37% 7,246
50 Monroe 7.33% 9,392
51 Watertown 7.16% 25,172
52 Pelham 7.1% 7,255
53 Canton 6.96% 6,994
54 Dunkirk 6.9% 12,651
55 Geneva 6.77% 12,577
56 Cohoes 6.68% 17,931
57 Port Jervis 6.68% 8,772
58 Potsdam 6.37% 8,455
59 Kenmore 6.37% 15,207
60 Solvay 6.32% 6,661
61 Haverstraw 5.82% 12,292
62 Mount Kisco 5.77% 10,904
63 Rome 5.75% 32,309
64 Glen Cove 5.72% 28,187
65 Amsterdam 5.68% 18,218
66 Bath 5.61% 5,613
67 Long Beach 5.45% 34,820
68 Batavia 5.28% 15,497
69 Port Chester 5.24% 31,317
70 Johnson City 5.2% 15,275
71 Rensselaer 5.16% 9,330
72 Farmingdale 5.1% 8,468
73 Tuckahoe 5.01% 7,002
74 Oneonta 4.96% 12,764
75 Rockville Centre 4.95% 25,768
76 Harrison 4.9% 28,635
77 Fredonia 4.78% 10,018
78 New Paltz 4.77% 7,378
79 Ithaca 4.48% 31,819
80 Malverne 4.32% 8,583
81 Pelham Manor 4.25% 5,698
82 Depew 4.21% 15,188
83 Pleasantville 3.96% 7,469
84 Geneseo 3.82% 8,140
85 Patchogue 3.78% 12,341
86 Dobbs Ferry 3.75% 11,511
87 Sleepy Hollow 3.72% 10,176
88 Lynbrook 3.67% 20,325
89 Croton-On-Hudson 3.64% 8,289
90 Newark 3.49% 9,049
91 Saratoga Springs 3.42% 28,110
92 Cortland 3.41% 17,577
93 Plattsburgh 3.39% 19,969
94 Lindenhurst 3.17% 27,169
95 Tarr 3.16% 11,808
96 Hilton 3.11% 6,015
97 Williamsville 3.08% 5,419
98 Airmont 3.06% 9,964
99 Mamaroneck 3.05% 19,989
100 Herkimer 2.71% 7,239

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in New York 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.