These Are The 10 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island is 57,348 – at 5.4% of the total population of Rhode Island.

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 impacted Rhode Island? Which cities and towns in Rhode Island have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Rhode Island with the largest African American population in 2018:

1. Pawtucket (Photos)
2. Providence (Photos)
3. Central Falls (Photos)
4. Woonsocket (Photos)
5. East Providence (Photos)
6. Newport (Photos)
7. Cranston (Photos)
8. Warwick (Photos)

Pawtucket took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Rhode Island for 2018.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island or the most diverse places in Rhode Island.

How We Determined The Cities In Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island.

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 19,000 people. That left us with 8 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 16.8% to 1.4%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Black population with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Pawtucket took the distinction of being the most Black, while Warwick was the least African American city.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Rhode Island 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. Pawtucket

Population: 71,389
% African American: 16.8%
# Of African American Residents: 11,993
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.2%

2. Providence

Population: 178,851
% African American: 12.97%
# Of African American Residents: 23,192
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.02%

3. Central Falls

Population: 19,366
% African American: 11.48%
# Of African American Residents: 2,224
Percent Change Since 2010: 25.58%

4. Woonsocket

Population: 41,272
% African American: 6.7%
# Of African American Residents: 2,767
Percent Change Since 2010: 77.83%

5. East Providence

Population: 47,260
% African American: 6.17%
# Of African American Residents: 2,914
Percent Change Since 2010: 26.86%

6. Newport

Population: 24,570
% African American: 4.87%
# Of African American Residents: 1,196
Percent Change Since 2010: -28.38%

7. Cranston

Population: 80,882
% African American: 4.67%
# Of African American Residents: 3,778
Percent Change Since 2010: 20.7%

8. Warwick

Population: 81,881
% African American: 1.36%
# Of African American Residents: 1,116
Percent Change Since 2010: -16.34%

There You Have It – Black Populations Across Rhode Island

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

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

1. Warwick
2. Cranston
3. Newport

For more Rhode Island reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Rhode Island
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island
• These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Rhode Island

Detailed List Of The Most African American Cities In Rhode Island

City	Rank	Population	% African American
Pawtucket	1	71,389	16.8%
Providence	2	178,851	12.97%
Central Falls	3	19,366	11.48%
Woonsocket	4	41,272	6.7%
East Providence	5	47,260	6.17%
Newport	6	24,570	4.87%
Cranston	7	80,882	4.67%
Warwick	8	81,881	1.36%