The 10 Tennessee Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2025


The most African American cities in Tennessee are Brownsville and Bolivar for 2025 based on Saturday Night Science.

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

  • The city with the largest African American population in Tennessee is Brownsville based on the most recent Census data.

  • Brownsville is 69.27% Black.

  • The least African American city in Tennessee is Mount Carmel.

  • Mount Carmel is 0.0% Black.

  • Tennessee is 15.7% Black.

  • Tennessee is the 10th blackest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest Black Population In Tennessee 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 Tennessee is 1,099,942 – at 15.7% of the total population of Tennessee.

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

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

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

The 10 Blackest Cities In Tennessee For 2025

1. Brownsville

Brownsville, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,634
% African American: 69.27%
# Of African American Residents: 6,673
Percent Change Since 2010: -3.56%
More on Brownsville: Data

2. Bolivar

Bolivar, TN

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

4
/10

Population: 5,171
% African American: 66.85%
# Of African American Residents: 3,457
Percent Change Since 2010: 2.61%
More on Bolivar: Data

3. Memphis

Memphis, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 629,063
% African American: 62.68%
# Of African American Residents: 394,321
Percent Change Since 2010: -3.47%
More on Memphis: Data

4. Covington

Covington, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,612
% African American: 58.63%
# Of African American Residents: 5,049
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.34%
More on Covington: Data

5. Ripley

Ripley, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki (thomasmachnitzki.com) | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 7,718
% African American: 54.86%
# Of African American Residents: 4,234
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.93%
More on Ripley: Data

6. Jackson

Jackson, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Matt Snyder | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 68,098
% African American: 44.44%
# Of African American Residents: 30,261
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.57%
More on Jackson: Data

7. Humboldt

Humboldt, TN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 7,799
% African American: 37.2%
# Of African American Residents: 2,901
Percent Change Since 2010: -30.51%
More on Humboldt: Data

8. Millington

Millington, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 11,117
% African American: 32.2%
# Of African American Residents: 3,580
Percent Change Since 2010: 30.75%
More on Millington: Data

9. Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Imilious~commonswiki | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 182,832
% African American: 28.37%
# Of African American Residents: 51,870
Percent Change Since 2010: -8.4%
More on Chattanooga: Data

10. Dyersburg

Dyersburg, TN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 16,075
% African American: 27.67%
# Of African American Residents: 4,448
Percent Change Since 2010: -7.35%
More on Dyersburg: Data

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Tennessee 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 Tennessee.

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 Tennessee. That left us with 92 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 69.3% 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. Brownsville took the distinction of being the most Black, while Mount Carmel was the least African American city.

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

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

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

The blackest cities in Tennessee are Brownsville, Bolivar, Memphis, Covington, Ripley, Jackson, Humboldt, Millington, Chattanooga, and Dyersburg.

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

  1. Mount Carmel
  2. Church Hill
  3. La Follette

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Tennessee

Rank City Population African American Population % African American
1 Brownsville 9,634 6,673 69.27%
2 Bolivar 5,171 3,457 66.85%
3 Memphis 629,063 394,321 62.68%
4 Covington 8,612 5,049 58.63%
5 Ripley 7,718 4,234 54.86%
6 Jackson 68,098 30,261 44.44%
7 Humboldt 7,799 2,901 37.2%
8 Millington 11,117 3,580 32.2%
9 Chattanooga 182,832 51,870 28.37%
10 Dyersburg 16,075 4,448 27.67%
11 La Vergne 38,944 10,428 26.78%
12 Milan 8,194 2,150 26.24%
13 Goodlettsville 17,598 4,559 25.91%
14 Oakland 9,544 2,260 23.68%
15 Clarksville 171,897 38,590 22.45%
16 Bartlett 56,998 12,701 22.28%
17 Union City 11,040 2,429 22.0%
18 Henderson 6,349 1,394 21.96%
19 Springfield 18,985 3,875 20.41%
20 Pulaski 8,305 1,588 19.12%
21 Fayetteville 7,037 1,303 18.52%
22 Paris 10,313 1,876 18.19%
23 Martin 10,864 1,898 17.47%
24 Murfreesboro 157,547 26,685 16.94%
25 Mckenzie 5,706 936 16.4%
26 Smyrna 55,066 9,020 16.38%
27 Gallatin 46,667 7,470 16.01%
28 Columbia 43,971 6,860 15.6%
29 Knoxville 193,721 29,987 15.48%
30 Lexington 7,943 1,171 14.74%
31 Arlington 14,989 1,779 11.87%
32 Lakeland 14,068 1,664 11.83%
33 Shelbyville 24,125 2,827 11.72%
34 Alcoa 11,635 1,363 11.71%
35 East Ridge 22,034 2,551 11.58%
36 Hartsville/trousdale County 11,805 1,330 11.27%
37 Collegedale 11,185 1,241 11.1%
38 Atoka 10,237 1,126 11.0%
39 Collierville 51,212 5,570 10.88%
40 Lebanon 41,951 4,528 10.79%
41 Winchester 9,600 1,027 10.7%
42 Harriman 6,021 526 8.74%
43 Hendersonville 62,390 5,232 8.39%
44 Millersville 5,885 480 8.16%
45 Lewisburg 12,607 1,026 8.14%
46 Savannah 7,219 565 7.83%
47 Mount Juliet 40,828 3,139 7.69%
48 Dickson 16,246 1,234 7.6%
49 Cleveland 48,185 3,643 7.56%
50 Red Bank 11,960 831 6.95%
51 Tullahoma 20,672 1,308 6.33%
52 Johnson City 71,455 4,476 6.26%
53 Manchester 12,651 792 6.26%
54 Oak Ridge 32,088 1,970 6.14%
55 Athens 14,250 863 6.06%
56 Franklin 85,575 4,935 5.77%
57 Morristown 30,983 1,526 4.93%
58 Spring Hill 53,585 2,583 4.82%
59 Lawrenceburg 11,732 553 4.71%
60 Sweetwater 6,462 295 4.57%
61 Elizabethton 14,364 617 4.3%
62 Brentwood 45,272 1,866 4.12%
63 Germantown 40,812 1,678 4.11%
64 Mcminnville 13,765 541 3.93%
65 Kingston 6,042 216 3.57%
66 Cookeville 35,544 1,270 3.57%
67 Munford 6,459 226 3.5%
68 Portland 13,325 462 3.47%
69 Jefferson City 8,472 277 3.27%
70 Kingsport 55,807 1,822 3.26%
71 Dayton 7,191 216 3.0%
72 Crossville 12,265 353 2.88%
73 Maryville 32,196 900 2.8%
74 Bristol 27,490 720 2.62%
75 White House 13,875 355 2.56%
76 Greeneville 15,531 386 2.49%
77 Nolensville 14,545 360 2.48%
78 Pigeon Forge 6,345 128 2.02%
79 Clinton 10,141 186 1.83%
80 Sevierville 18,105 255 1.41%
81 Fairview 9,751 122 1.25%
82 Newport 6,881 86 1.25%
83 Rockwood 5,510 59 1.07%
84 Lenoir City 10,681 109 1.02%
85 Farragut 24,309 221 0.91%
86 Soddy-Daisy 13,117 91 0.69%
87 Greenbrier 6,960 41 0.59%
88 Erwin 6,001 34 0.57%
89 Signal Mountain 8,861 46 0.52%
90 La Follette 7,308 14 0.19%
91 Church Hill 7,057 12 0.17%
92 Mount Carmel 5,504 0 0.0%
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.

3 thoughts on “The 10 Tennessee Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2025

  1. Which Tennesse cities have issues of racism? Amongst, neighbours, people and in schools. I am from South Africa, born and raised, and I am black. I love everything I read up about the southern way of life. I have watched a lot of movies about the southern way of life, and I am even considering applying to a university in Tennesse. I would like to know if there are any racial issues for black people in Tennesse, or will there be peace amongst all races?

    1. Hi Mr. Khumalo,

      Tennessee has become much more diversified throughout the years. The chances of you finding yourself in the face a racial bigotry is very small, but possible. Tennessee is full of God loving wonderful people. As long as you arrive hear with a good attitude, open heart and a good smile you will be successful in all that you do.

      Please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

      Email: [email protected]

      ~ God bless

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *