The 10 Oregon Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


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

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 Oregon is 74,010 - at 1.8% of the total population of Oregon.

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

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

  1. Fairview
  2. Portland
  3. Gresham
  4. Umatilla
  5. Hillsboro
  6. Seaside
  7. Beaverton
  8. Monmouth
  9. Troutdale
  10. Eagle Point

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

The 10 Blackest Cities In Oregon For 2023

1. Fairview

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,439
% African American: 11.38%
# Of African American Residents: 1,188
Percent Change Since 2010: 73.43%
More on Fairview: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Fairview, OR

2. Portland

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 647,176
% African American: 5.46%
# Of African American Residents: 35,323
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.3%
More on Portland: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Portland, OR

3. Gresham

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 114,164
% African American: 3.91%
# Of African American Residents: 4,459
Percent Change Since 2010: 43.61%
More on Gresham: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Gresham, OR

4. Umatilla

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,224
% African American: 3.25%
# Of African American Residents: 235
Percent Change Since 2010: 190.12%
More on Umatilla: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Umatilla, OR

5. Hillsboro

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 105,909
% African American: 2.88%
# Of African American Residents: 3,051
Percent Change Since 2010: 111.87%
More on Hillsboro: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hillsboro, OR

Source: Public domain

6. Seaside

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,058
% African American: 2.64%
# Of African American Residents: 186
Percent Change Since 2010: 1966.67%
More on Seaside: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Seaside, OR

Source: Public domain

7. Beaverton

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 97,466
% African American: 2.18%
# Of African American Residents: 2,126
Percent Change Since 2010: 83.75%
More on Beaverton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Beaverton, OR

Source: Public domain

8. Monmouth

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 10,735
% African American: 2.03%
# Of African American Residents: 218
Percent Change Since 2010: 257.38%
More on Monmouth: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Monmouth, OR

9. Troutdale

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,353
% African American: 2.03%
# Of African American Residents: 332
Percent Change Since 2010: -18.63%
More on Troutdale: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Troutdale, OR

10. Eagle Point

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 9,600
% African American: 1.98%
# Of African American Residents: 190
Percent Change Since 2010: inf%
More on Eagle Point: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Eagle Point, OR

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Oregon 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 Oregon.

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 72 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 11.4% 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. Fairview took the distinction of being the most Black, while Milton-Freewater was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

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

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

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

  1. Milton-Freewater
  2. Stayton
  3. Talent

For more Oregon reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Oregon

Rank City % African American Population
1 Fairview 11.38% 10,439
2 Portland 5.46% 647,176
3 Gresham 3.91% 114,164
4 Umatilla 3.25% 7,224
5 Hillsboro 2.88% 105,909
6 Seaside 2.64% 7,058
7 Beaverton 2.18% 97,466
8 Monmouth 2.03% 10,735
9 Troutdale 2.03% 16,353
10 Eagle Point 1.98% 9,600
11 Pendleton 1.93% 16,861
12 Wilsonville 1.89% 25,887
13 Gladstone 1.86% 12,017
14 Florence 1.72% 9,353
15 Baker City 1.55% 9,998
16 Hood River 1.52% 8,210
17 Tualatin 1.36% 27,821
18 Cornelius 1.32% 12,893
19 Corvallis 1.31% 59,407
20 Eugene 1.29% 173,278
21 West Linn 1.27% 27,173
22 Sutherlin 1.25% 8,429
23 Salem 1.23% 174,193
24 Sweet Home 1.2% 9,716
25 Tigard 1.18% 54,750
26 Astoria 1.15% 10,166
27 Cottage Grove 1.05% 10,569
28 Forest Grove 0.96% 25,767
29 Milwaukie 0.95% 21,108
30 Medford 0.95% 84,894
31 Dallas 0.94% 16,663
32 Happy Valley 0.9% 23,442
33 Klamath Falls 0.9% 21,710
34 North Bend 0.9% 10,224
35 Hermiston 0.84% 19,141
36 Springfield 0.8% 62,138
37 Coos Bay 0.77% 15,921
38 Newberg 0.76% 25,108
39 Woodburn 0.75% 25,877
40 La Grande 0.73% 13,212
41 Lake Oswego 0.68% 40,390
42 Newport 0.68% 10,305
43 Bend 0.67% 97,042
44 Mcminnville 0.64% 34,224
45 Canby 0.54% 18,078
46 Independence 0.52% 9,850
47 Ashland 0.51% 21,348
48 St. Helens 0.48% 13,808
49 Grants Pass 0.47% 38,902
50 Oregon City 0.44% 37,160
51 Albany 0.4% 55,776
52 Keizer 0.37% 39,119
53 Brookings 0.34% 6,706
54 Prineville 0.32% 10,611
55 Junction City 0.31% 6,718
56 Madras 0.31% 7,381
57 Lincoln City 0.3% 9,655
58 The Dalles 0.29% 15,942
59 Sandy 0.28% 12,383
60 Ontario 0.23% 11,465
61 Winston 0.21% 5,591
62 Silverton 0.18% 10,402
63 Molalla 0.17% 10,060
64 Roseburg 0.15% 23,551
65 Redmond 0.12% 33,160
66 Lebanon 0.09% 18,150
67 Scappoose 0.09% 7,871
68 Sherwood 0.06% 20,281
69 Central Point 0.01% 18,948
70 Talent 0.0% 6,256
71 Stayton 0.0% 8,199
72 Milton-Freewater 0.0% 7,143

How Is The Area In ?

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