The 10 North Carolina Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2025


The most African American cities in North Carolina are Kinston and Rocky Mount for 2025 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About RoadSnacks
Last Updated: October 1, 2025

Most African American cities in North Carolina research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze North Carolina’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in North Carolina based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in North Carolina is Kinston based on the most recent Census data.

  • Kinston is 65.77% Black.

  • The least African American city in North Carolina is Carolina Beach.

  • Carolina Beach is 0.0% Black.

  • North Carolina is 20.3% Black.

  • North Carolina is the 8th blackest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest Black Population In North Carolina Map

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 North Carolina is 2,147,308 – at 20.3% of the total population of North Carolina.

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

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in North Carolina with the largest African American population in 2025:

What’s the blackest city in North Carolina? The city with the largest Black population in North Carolina for 2025 is Kinston. See if Kinston 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 North Carolina or the most diverse places in North Carolina.

The 10 Blackest Cities In North Carolina For 2025

1. Kinston

Kinston, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Tradewinds | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 19,576
% African American: 65.77%
# Of African American Residents: 12,876
Percent Change Since 2010: -12.37%
More on Kinston: Data

2. Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount, NC

Source: Wikipedia User koly | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 54,175
% African American: 62.72%
# Of African American Residents: 33,981
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.59%
More on Rocky Mount: Data

3. Nashville

Nashville, NC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,672
% African American: 62.09%
# Of African American Residents: 3,522
Percent Change Since 2010: 57.09%
More on Nashville: Data

4. Henderson

Henderson, NC

Source: Wikipedia User KimWrenn | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,922
% African American: 61.7%
# Of African American Residents: 9,207
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.69%
More on Henderson: Data

5. Oxford

Oxford, NC

Source: Wikipedia User John Taylor | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,897
% African American: 54.87%
# Of African American Residents: 4,882
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.92%
More on Oxford: Data

6. Goldsboro

Goldsboro, NC

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 33,448
% African American: 53.12%
# Of African American Residents: 17,769
Percent Change Since 2010: -11.15%
More on Goldsboro: Data

7. Tarboro

Tarboro, NC

Source: Flickr User RegulusAlpha | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,705
% African American: 51.68%
# Of African American Residents: 5,532
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.4%
More on Tarboro: Data

8. Elizabeth City

Elizabeth City, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Ajsanjua at English Wikipedia | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 18,740
% African American: 49.0%
# Of African American Residents: 9,182
Percent Change Since 2010: -11.62%
More on Elizabeth City: Data

9. Wilson

Wilson, NC

Source: Wikipedia User MattShaw9365 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 47,740
% African American: 48.91%
# Of African American Residents: 23,350
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.34%
More on Wilson: Data

10. Williamston

Williamston, NC

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,157
% African American: 48.03%
# Of African American Residents: 2,477
Percent Change Since 2010: -23.15%
More on Williamston: Data

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In North Carolina With The Largest Black Population For 2025

We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across North Carolina.

That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2019-2023 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 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 North Carolina. That left us with 124 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 65.8% 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. Kinston took the distinction of being the most Black, while Carolina Beach was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in North Carolina with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in North Carolina 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 North Carolina

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

The blackest cities in North Carolina are Kinston, Rocky Mount, Nashville, Henderson, Oxford, Goldsboro, Tarboro, Elizabeth City, Wilson, and Williamston.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in North Carolina:

  1. Carolina Beach
  2. Oak Island
  3. Pinehurst

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

African American Population By City In North Carolina

RankCityPopulationAfrican American Population% African American
1Kinston19,57612,87665.77%
2Rocky Mount54,17533,98162.72%
3Nashville5,6723,52262.09%
4Henderson14,9229,20761.7%
5Oxford8,8974,88254.87%
6Goldsboro33,44817,76953.12%
7Tarboro10,7055,53251.68%
8Elizabeth City18,7409,18249.0%
9Wilson47,74023,35048.91%
10Williamston5,1572,47748.03%
11Laurinburg15,0797,23848.0%
12Knightdale19,5329,02546.21%
13Washington9,7544,22543.32%
14Selma6,6112,80142.37%
15Hamlet6,0002,50241.7%
16Greensboro298,564124,13641.58%
17Fayetteville209,69286,07141.05%
18Clinton8,3363,39440.71%
19Greenville88,54035,68440.3%
20Lumberton19,2207,27937.87%
21Rockingham9,0943,31336.43%
22Winterville10,6243,86636.39%
23Roanoke Rapids15,0245,45836.33%
24Spring Lake11,6134,14235.67%
25Salisbury35,73012,59235.24%
26Roxboro8,1442,85735.08%
27Dunn8,5122,94434.59%
28Durham288,46598,56834.17%
29Charlotte886,283298,92033.73%
30Hope Mills17,8236,00533.69%
31Shelby21,8687,06832.32%
32High Point115,26337,11832.2%
33Winston-Salem250,88779,66731.75%
34Gastonia81,63224,96330.58%
35Reidsville14,5474,44030.52%
36Burlington58,59917,45229.78%
37New Bern31,5639,04628.66%
38Eden15,3534,35928.39%
39Butner7,9962,26628.34%
40Raleigh470,763126,93426.96%
41Clayton28,0437,55926.96%
42Statesville29,1617,77226.65%
43Smithfield11,7983,10026.28%
44Lexington19,6915,12326.02%
45Garner32,5438,41925.87%
46Mebane18,8994,83425.58%
47Wendell11,5852,95225.48%
48Forest City7,3681,84325.01%
49Graham17,5374,11723.48%
50Kannapolis56,47013,05923.13%
51Kings Mountain11,4722,63022.93%
52Sanford30,8336,99422.68%
53Gibsonville9,2892,10022.61%
54Albemarle16,5273,68622.3%
55Concord106,51823,06921.66%
56Monroe35,5967,64821.49%
57Aberdeen8,9691,89121.08%
58Lincolnton11,5032,33120.26%
59Wake Forest51,19910,10419.73%
60Havelock16,4712,97518.06%
61Pineville10,7801,91017.72%
62Kernersville27,4394,68017.06%
63Thomasville27,2614,59916.87%
64Siler City7,9051,31816.67%
65Jacksonville73,50711,43615.56%
66Mount Holly17,9282,74615.32%
67Fuquay-Varina37,7495,74215.21%
68Mint Hill26,9544,01514.9%
69Wilmington118,57817,56114.81%
70Asheboro27,3533,85614.1%
71Huntersville62,4588,41513.47%
72Hickory43,7475,81313.29%
73Morganton17,5412,32313.24%
74Matthews29,9593,96213.22%
75Harrisburg19,2032,53713.21%
76Morrisville30,4713,98213.07%
77Carrboro21,1702,70612.78%
78Lenoir18,2822,27912.47%
79Marion7,59489411.77%
80Southern Pines16,0521,87811.7%
81Lewisville13,6551,55311.37%
82Newton13,2231,49911.34%
83Bessemer City5,50860510.98%
84Chapel Hill59,8896,46810.8%
85Mooresville51,4475,50010.69%
86Indian Trail41,1464,23110.28%
87Brevard7,79579510.2%
88Davidson14,8521,4689.88%
89Asheville94,3699,1119.65%
90Leland26,3072,4619.35%
91Hillsborough9,6568809.11%
92Archdale11,9921,0128.44%
93Mount Airy10,6318628.11%
94Apex67,7655,4758.08%
95Elon11,3259017.96%
96Hendersonville15,2531,2097.93%
97Holly Springs43,4293,4257.89%
98Stallings16,4951,2817.77%
99Wesley Chapel8,9236857.68%
100Belmont15,1401,1097.32%
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.

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