These Are The 10 New York Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2018

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 2,829,883 – at 14.4% 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 2018:

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

Mount Vernon took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in New York for 2018. 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.

How We Determined The Cities In New York With The Largest Black Population For 2018

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 2012-2016 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 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 63.0% 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 Cedarhurst was the least African American city.

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.

1. Mount Vernon

Population: 68,217
% African American: 62.97%
# Of African American Residents: 42,958
Percent Change Since 2010: 7.34%
More on Mount Vernon: Data | Jobs

Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2010 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 67,292.

2. Hempstead

Population: 55,454
% African American: 46.61%
# Of African American Residents: 25,849
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.67%
More on Hempstead: Data | Jobs

Hempstead is one of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, United States, occupying the southwestern part of the county, in the western half of Long Island. Twenty-two incorporated villages are completely or partially within the town. Hempstead’s combined population was 759,757 at the 2010 Census, the majority of the population of the county and by far the most of any town in New York. Also, a village named Hempstead is within the Town.

3. Rochester

Population: 210,291
% African American: 38.63%
# Of African American Residents: 81,232
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.51%
More on Rochester: Data | Jobs

Rochester is a city on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in Western New York. Rochester is the third most populous city in New York state with over 210,000 residents, and its metropolitan area has a population of nearly 1.1 million people.

4. Spring Valley

Population: 32,415
% African American: 37.8%
# Of African American Residents: 12,254
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.46%
More on Spring Valley: Data | Jobs

Spring Valley is a village in the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Chestnut Ridge, east of Airmont and Monsey, south of Hillcrest, and west of Nanuet. The population was 31,347 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd most populous community in Rockland County, after New City.

5. Buffalo

Population: 258,989
% African American: 36.54%
# Of African American Residents: 94,644
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.68%
More on Buffalo: Data | Jobs

Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York and the 81st-most populous city in the United States. As of July 2016, the population was 256,902, a slight decrease from the 2010 census. It is the principal municipality of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, a region with 1,134,210 residents in the MSA and 1,213,668 in the CSA. The city serves as the county seat of Erie County. The city also is a major gateway for commerce and travel at the Canada-United States border, forming part of the bi-national Buffalo Niagara Region.

6. Poughkeepsie

Population: 30,511
% African American: 36.5%
# Of African American Residents: 11,138
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.06%
More on Poughkeepsie: Data | Jobs

Poughkeepsie, officially the City of Poughkeepsie, is a city in the state of New York, United States, which is the county seat of Dutchess County. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 32,736. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson Valley midway between New York City and Albany, and is part of the New York metropolitan area. The name derives from a word in the Wappinger language, roughly U-puku-ipi-sing, meaning “the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place,” referring to a spring or stream feeding into the Hudson River south of the present downtown area.

7. Freeport

Population: 43,217
% African American: 30.18%
# Of African American Residents: 13,044
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.45%
More on Freeport: Data | Jobs

Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, USA, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census. A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community. It is now primarily a bedroom suburb but retains a modest commercial waterfront and some light industry.

8. Monticello

Population: 6,577
% African American: 28.78%
# Of African American Residents: 1,893
Percent Change Since 2010: -16.72%
More on Monticello: Data | Jobs

Monticello is a village located in Thompson in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 6,726 at the 2010 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan County. The village was named after the residence of Thomas Jefferson.

9. Albany

Population: 98,425
% African American: 28.17%
# Of African American Residents: 27,724
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.42%
More on Albany: Data | Jobs

Albany AWL-b-nee) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York and the seat of Albany County. Roughly 150 miles north of New York City, Albany developed on the west bank of the Hudson River, about 10 miles south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. The population of the City of Albany was 97,856 according to the 2010 census. Albany constitutes the economic and cultural core of the Capital District of New York State, which comprises the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area, including the nearby cities and suburbs of Troy, Schenectady, and Saratoga Springs. With a 2013 Census-estimated population of 1.1 million the Capital District is the third-most populous metropolitan region in the state and 38th in the United States.

10. Syracuse

Population: 144,350
% African American: 27.92%
# Of African American Residents: 40,304
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.78%
More on Syracuse: Data | Jobs

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, in the United States. It is the largest U.S. city with the name “Syracuse”, and is the fifth most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo Rochester and Yonkers. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,252, and its metropolitan area had a population of 662,577. It is the economic and educational hub of Central New York, a region with over one million inhabitants. Syracuse is also well-provided with convention sites, with a downtown convention complex. Syracuse was named after the original Greek city Syracuse, a city on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily.

There You Have It – 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. Cedarhurst
2. Kiryas Joel
3. Fairport

For more New York reading, check out:

• 10 Safest Places In New York According To Science
• 10 Worst Places To Live In New York State
• 10 Most Dangerous Places In New York

Detailed List Of The Most African American Cities In New York

Rank	City	Population	% African American
1	Mount Vernon	68,217	62.97%
2	Hempstead	55,454	46.61%
3	Rochester	210,291	38.63%
4	Spring Valley	32,415	37.8%
5	Buffalo	258,989	36.54%
6	Poughkeepsie	30,511	36.5%
7	Freeport	43,217	30.18%
8	Monticello	6,577	28.78%
9	Albany	98,425	28.17%
10	Syracuse	144,350	27.92%
11	Newburgh	28,406	25.42%
12	New York	8,461,961	22.21%
13	Westbury	15,319	22.21%
14	Niagara Falls	49,180	22.2%
15	Hudson	6,549	20.75%
16	Middletown	27,601	20.6%
17	Chestnut Ridge	8,096	20.0%
18	Valley Stream	37,626	19.91%
19	Peekskill	23,977	19.76%
20	Schenectady	65,554	19.09%
21	Nyack	6,788	18.61%
22	New Rochelle	79,299	17.86%
23	Beacon	14,289	17.63%
24	Yonkers	199,725	15.72%
25	Kingston	23,506	15.2%
26	Ossining	25,299	14.98%
27	Troy	49,881	14.75%
28	Elmira	28,583	14.42%
29	Utica	61,337	14.3%
30	Port Jervis	8,650	13.76%
31	West Haverstraw	10,334	13.48%
32	Haverstraw	12,120	12.59%
33	Pelham	6,996	12.08%
34	New Hempstead	5,311	12.05%
35	White Plains	57,925	11.85%
36	Albion	5,802	11.62%
37	Binghamton	46,277	10.72%
38	Geneva	13,136	9.82%
39	Auburn	27,101	9.28%
40	Newark	9,068	8.9%
41	Washingtonville	5,813	8.88%
42	Lackawanna	17,992	8.83%
43	Watervliet	10,207	8.61%
44	Tuckahoe	6,596	8.41%
45	East Rochester	6,679	8.29%
46	Endicott	13,073	8.12%
47	Johnson City	14,835	7.58%
48	Mamaroneck	19,263	7.24%
49	Glen Cove	27,246	7.13%
50	Walden	6,769	7.08%
51	Croton-On-Hudson	8,209	6.82%
52	Amityville	9,484	6.54%
53	Lockport	20,722	6.46%
54	Ogdensburg	10,937	6.42%
55	Wappingers Falls	5,429	6.41%
56	Ithaca	30,625	6.4%
57	Medina	5,885	6.34%
58	Rensselaer	9,435	6.27%
59	Batavia	15,012	6.12%
60	Long Beach	33,670	6.06%
61	Potsdam	9,682	5.96%
62	Watertown	26,997	5.89%
63	Rockville Centre	24,262	5.48%
64	Rome	32,673	5.45%
65	Port Chester	29,417	5.44%
66	Kenmore	15,303	5.23%
67	Tarr	11,460	5.2%
68	Sleepy Hollow	10,117	5.01%
69	Dunkirk	12,186	5.0%
70	Dobbs Ferry	11,058	4.91%
71	Malverne	8,556	4.9%
72	Patchogue	12,293	4.86%
73	Olean	13,991	4.83%
74	Canton	6,624	4.79%
75	Pleasantville	7,134	4.4%
76	Suffern	10,936	4.39%
77	Plattsburgh	19,820	4.31%
78	Jamestown	30,345	4.2%
79	Cohoes	16,411	4.2%
80	Hastings-On-Hudson	7,959	4.18%
81	New Paltz	7,034	4.14%
82	Woodbury	11,015	4.07%
83	Harrison	28,082	3.93%
84	Williamsville	5,269	3.83%
85	Brockport	8,444	3.72%
86	Johnstown	8,431	3.71%
87	Oneonta	13,863	3.67%
88	Monroe	8,547	3.37%
89	North Syracuse	6,679	3.37%
90	Mount Kisco	11,062	3.23%
91	Lynbrook	19,584	2.98%
92	Fredonia	10,801	2.93%
93	Colonie	7,888	2.9%
94	Salamanca	5,638	2.89%
95	Geneseo	8,124	2.87%
96	Saranac Lake	5,569	2.86%
97	Bath	5,674	2.71%
98	Briarcliff Manor	7,732	2.66%
99	Cortland	19,018	2.61%
100	Webster	5,532	2.55%