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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 Tennessee is 1,118,600 - at 16.5% 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. 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 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 2022:
What's the blackest city in Tennessee? Brownsville took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Tennessee for 2022. 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee or the most diverse places in Tennessee.
The 10 Blackest Cities In Tennessee For 2022
1. Brownsville
/10
Population: 9,497
% African American: 67.56%
# Of African American Residents: 6,416
Percent Change Since 2010: -7.27%
More on Brownsville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
2. Bolivar
/10
Population: 5,005
% African American: 64.36%
# Of African American Residents: 3,221
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.39%
More on Bolivar: Real Estate | Data | Photos
3. Memphis
/10
Population: 650,910
% African American: 64.16%
# Of African American Residents: 417,629
Percent Change Since 2010: 2.23%
More on Memphis: Real Estate | Data | Photos
4. Ripley
/10
Population: 7,852
% African American: 54.01%
# Of African American Residents: 4,241
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.77%
More on Ripley: Real Estate | Data | Photos
5. Covington
/10
Population: 8,863
% African American: 48.82%
# Of African American Residents: 4,327
Percent Change Since 2010: -16.31%
More on Covington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
6. Jackson
/10
Population: 67,036
% African American: 45.27%
# Of African American Residents: 30,349
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.87%
More on Jackson: Real Estate | Data | Photos
7. Humboldt
/10
Population: 8,145
% African American: 41.28%
# Of African American Residents: 3,362
Percent Change Since 2010: -19.47%
More on Humboldt: Real Estate | Data | Photos
8. Chattanooga
/10
Population: 181,370
% African American: 30.48%
# Of African American Residents: 55,278
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.38%
More on Chattanooga: Real Estate | Data | Photos
9. Millington
/10
Population: 10,650
% African American: 29.06%
# Of African American Residents: 3,095
Percent Change Since 2010: 13.04%
More on Millington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
10. Nashville
/10
Population: 667,070
% African American: 27.16%
# Of African American Residents: 181,187
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.37%
More on Nashville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Tennessee With The Largest Black Population For 2022
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 Tennessee.
That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2016-2020 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 93 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 67.6% 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. Brownsville took the distinction of being the most Black, while Church Hill was the least African American city. You can download the data here.
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.
If you're curious enough, here are the least African American places in Tennessee:
- Church Hill
- Pigeon Forge
- Erwin
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In Tennessee
- Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee
- Best Places To Live In Tennessee
African American Population By City In Tennessee
| Rank | City | % African American |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsville | 67.56% |
| 2 | Bolivar | 64.36% |
| 3 | Memphis | 64.16% |
| 4 | Ripley | 54.01% |
| 5 | Covington | 48.82% |
| 6 | Jackson | 45.27% |
| 7 | Humboldt | 41.28% |
| 8 | Chattanooga | 30.48% |
| 9 | Millington | 29.06% |
| 10 | Nashville | 27.16% |
| 11 | Union City | 26.18% |
| 12 | La Vergne | 24.88% |
| 13 | Fayetteville | 24.07% |
| 14 | Paris | 23.29% |
| 15 | Clarksville | 22.25% |
| 16 | Dyersburg | 22.01% |
| 17 | Springfield | 21.51% |
| 18 | Goodlettsville | 21.5% |
| 19 | Pulaski | 21.13% |
| 20 | Milan | 20.52% |
| 21 | Bartlett | 20.34% |
| 22 | Henderson | 18.87% |
| 23 | Murfreesboro | 18.76% |
| 24 | Arlington | 18.22% |
| 25 | Martin | 17.95% |
| 26 | Mckenzie | 17.71% |
| 27 | Knoxville | 16.87% |
| 28 | Columbia | 16.64% |
| 29 | Lexington | 16.47% |
| 30 | Smyrna | 15.34% |
| 31 | Oakland | 14.65% |
| 32 | Gallatin | 13.9% |
| 33 | Alcoa | 13.62% |
| 34 | Millersville | 13.54% |
| 35 | Shelbyville | 13.22% |
| 36 | East Ridge | 13.0% |
| 37 | Collegedale | 12.11% |
| 38 | Lebanon | 12.01% |
| 39 | Munford | 11.86% |
| 40 | Collierville | 11.63% |
| 41 | Lewisburg | 11.15% |
| 42 | Atoka | 10.86% |
| 43 | Hartsville/trousdale County | 10.35% |
| 44 | Winchester | 9.85% |
| 45 | Athens | 9.37% |
| 46 | Lakeland | 8.99% |
| 47 | Savannah | 8.6% |
| 48 | Dickson | 8.55% |
| 49 | Hendersonville | 7.98% |
| 50 | Oak Ridge | 7.74% |
| 51 | Cleveland | 7.19% |
| 52 | Mount Juliet | 6.99% |
| 53 | Morristown | 6.94% |
| 54 | Sweetwater | 6.87% |
| 55 | Johnson City | 6.77% |
| 56 | Spring Hill | 6.66% |
| 57 | Tullahoma | 6.47% |
| 58 | Franklin | 5.62% |
| 59 | Manchester | 5.56% |
| 60 | Red Bank | 5.5% |
| 61 | Kingston | 5.16% |
| 62 | Lawrenceburg | 5.14% |
| 63 | Elizabethton | 5.08% |
| 64 | Jefferson City | 4.73% |
| 65 | Dayton | 4.62% |
| 66 | Greeneville | 4.53% |
| 67 | Harriman | 4.26% |
| 68 | Cookeville | 4.17% |
| 69 | Fairview | 4.16% |
| 70 | Mcminnville | 3.63% |
| 71 | Kingsport | 3.62% |
| 72 | Greenbrier | 3.47% |
| 73 | Nolensville | 3.45% |
| 74 | Clinton | 3.23% |
| 75 | Maryville | 2.84% |
| 76 | White House | 2.77% |
| 77 | Brentwood | 2.65% |
| 78 | Bristol | 2.51% |
| 79 | Crossville | 2.33% |
| 80 | Germantown | 2.3% |
| 81 | Portland | 2.26% |
| 82 | Rockwood | 1.52% |
| 83 | Newport | 1.41% |
| 84 | Lenoir City | 1.22% |
| 85 | Mount Carmel | 1.15% |
| 86 | Farragut | 0.71% |
| 87 | Sevierville | 0.69% |
| 88 | Soddy-Daisy | 0.66% |
| 89 | La Follette | 0.37% |
| 90 | Signal Mountain | 0.33% |
| 91 | Erwin | 0.3% |
| 92 | Pigeon Forge | 0.13% |
| 93 | Church Hill | 0.0% |
