Most African American cities in Texas research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Texas’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Texas based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the largest African American population in Texas is Prairie View based on the most recent Census data.
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Prairie View is 85.04% Black.
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The least African American city in Texas is Decatur.
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Decatur is 0.0% Black.
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Texas is 11.9% Black.
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Texas is the 18th blackest state in the United States.
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 Texas is 3,528,533 – at 11.9% of the total population of Texas.
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 Texas? Which cities and towns in Texas have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?
We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Texas with the largest African American population in 2025:
Most African American Places In Texas
What’s the blackest city in Texas? The city with the largest Black population in Texas for 2025 is Prairie View. See if Prairie View 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 Texas or the most diverse places in Texas.
The 10 Blackest Cities In Texas For 2025
1. Prairie View
/10
Population: 8,220
% African American: 85.04%
# Of African American Residents: 6,990
Percent Change Since 2010: 47.59%
More on Prairie View: Data
2. Desoto
/10
Population: 55,896
% African American: 67.9%
# Of African American Residents: 37,954
Percent Change Since 2010: 26.43%
More on Desoto: Data
3. Lancaster
/10
Population: 40,753
% African American: 63.87%
# Of African American Residents: 26,029
Percent Change Since 2010: 13.11%
More on Lancaster: Data
4. Hempstead
/10
Population: 5,899
% African American: 51.31%
# Of African American Residents: 3,027
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.15%
More on Hempstead: Data
5. Cedar Hill
/10
Population: 48,547
% African American: 49.62%
# Of African American Residents: 24,088
Percent Change Since 2010: 13.89%
More on Cedar Hill: Data
6. Beaumont
/10
Population: 113,710
% African American: 44.65%
# Of African American Residents: 50,774
Percent Change Since 2010: -6.75%
More on Beaumont: Data
7. Glenn Heights
/10
Population: 17,175
% African American: 43.51%
# Of African American Residents: 7,472
Percent Change Since 2010: 31.02%
More on Glenn Heights: Data
8. Forest Hill
/10
Population: 13,923
% African American: 43.47%
# Of African American Residents: 6,053
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.02%
More on Forest Hill: Data
9. Jasper
/10
Population: 7,215
% African American: 43.23%
# Of African American Residents: 3,119
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.1%
More on Jasper: Data
10. Port Arthur
/10
Population: 55,779
% African American: 42.11%
# Of African American Residents: 23,489
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.29%
More on Port Arthur: Data
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Texas 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 Texas.
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*
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 Texas. That left us with 324 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 85.0% 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. Prairie View took the distinction of being the most Black, while Decatur was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Texas with the largest African American population.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Texas 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 Texas
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Texas according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Texas are Prairie View, DeSoto, Lancaster, Hempstead, Cedar Hill, Beaumont, Glenn Heights, Forest Hill, Jasper, and Port Arthur.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Texas:
- Decatur
- Bowie
- Elsa
For more Texas reading, check out:
African American Population By City In Texas
Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
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1 | Prairie View | 8,220 | 6,990 | 85.04% |
2 | Desoto | 55,896 | 37,954 | 67.9% |
3 | Lancaster | 40,753 | 26,029 | 63.87% |
4 | Hempstead | 5,899 | 3,027 | 51.31% |
5 | Cedar Hill | 48,547 | 24,088 | 49.62% |
6 | Beaumont | 113,710 | 50,774 | 44.65% |
7 | Glenn Heights | 17,175 | 7,472 | 43.51% |
8 | Forest Hill | 13,923 | 6,053 | 43.47% |
9 | Jasper | 7,215 | 3,119 | 43.23% |
10 | Port Arthur | 55,779 | 23,489 | 42.11% |
11 | Marlin | 5,500 | 2,220 | 40.36% |
12 | Marshall | 23,646 | 9,477 | 40.08% |
13 | Crockett | 6,318 | 2,517 | 39.84% |
14 | Missouri City | 75,234 | 29,577 | 39.31% |
15 | Texarkana | 36,039 | 13,979 | 38.79% |
16 | Red Oak | 15,909 | 5,862 | 36.85% |
17 | Killeen | 156,144 | 54,251 | 34.74% |
18 | Balch Springs | 27,181 | 9,010 | 33.15% |
19 | Center | 5,198 | 1,604 | 30.86% |
20 | Duncanville | 39,879 | 12,136 | 30.43% |
21 | Orange | 19,178 | 5,663 | 29.53% |
22 | Rusk | 5,332 | 1,565 | 29.35% |
23 | Lacy-Lakeview | 7,247 | 2,115 | 29.18% |
24 | Mexia | 6,867 | 1,994 | 29.04% |
25 | La Marque | 18,833 | 5,340 | 28.35% |
26 | Cleveland | 8,137 | 2,295 | 28.2% |
27 | Hitchcock | 7,480 | 2,089 | 27.93% |
28 | Atlanta | 5,434 | 1,508 | 27.75% |
29 | Wharton | 8,671 | 2,398 | 27.66% |
30 | Palestine | 18,888 | 5,153 | 27.28% |
31 | Silsbee | 6,883 | 1,859 | 27.01% |
32 | Stafford | 17,279 | 4,620 | 26.74% |
33 | Harker Heights | 33,595 | 8,938 | 26.61% |
34 | Texas City | 54,159 | 14,161 | 26.15% |
35 | Nacogdoches | 32,104 | 8,242 | 25.67% |
36 | Everman | 6,060 | 1,554 | 25.64% |
37 | Mesquite | 148,848 | 36,042 | 24.21% |
38 | Grand Prairie | 198,564 | 47,486 | 23.91% |
39 | Richmond | 12,117 | 2,860 | 23.6% |
40 | Dallas | 1,299,553 | 304,323 | 23.42% |
41 | Mansfield | 75,398 | 17,642 | 23.4% |
42 | Tyler | 107,718 | 25,147 | 23.35% |
43 | Wake Village | 5,887 | 1,326 | 22.52% |
44 | Houston | 2,300,419 | 517,798 | 22.51% |
45 | Rowlett | 64,139 | 14,410 | 22.47% |
46 | Paris | 24,678 | 5,544 | 22.47% |
47 | Brenham | 18,086 | 3,979 | 22.0% |
48 | Arlington | 394,769 | 86,497 | 21.91% |
49 | Terrell | 19,019 | 4,161 | 21.88% |
50 | Huntsville | 46,917 | 10,256 | 21.86% |
51 | Cameron | 5,385 | 1,175 | 21.82% |
52 | Longview | 82,765 | 18,049 | 21.81% |
53 | Crowley | 19,007 | 4,060 | 21.36% |
54 | Princeton | 20,966 | 4,456 | 21.25% |
55 | Gladewater | 6,297 | 1,336 | 21.22% |
56 | Navasota | 8,170 | 1,723 | 21.09% |
57 | Humble | 16,489 | 3,475 | 21.07% |
58 | Waco | 141,925 | 28,213 | 19.88% |
59 | Converse | 28,764 | 5,595 | 19.45% |
60 | Jacksonville | 14,186 | 2,730 | 19.24% |
61 | Elgin | 10,996 | 2,111 | 19.2% |
62 | Fort Worth | 941,311 | 180,442 | 19.17% |
63 | Seagoville | 18,968 | 3,636 | 19.17% |
64 | Little Elm | 51,426 | 9,835 | 19.12% |
65 | Kennedale | 8,954 | 1,698 | 18.96% |
66 | Henderson | 13,348 | 2,524 | 18.91% |
67 | Lufkin | 34,158 | 6,412 | 18.77% |
68 | Addison | 17,128 | 3,081 | 17.99% |
69 | Dayton | 9,121 | 1,640 | 17.98% |
70 | Pearland | 125,983 | 22,585 | 17.93% |
71 | Freeport | 10,639 | 1,903 | 17.89% |
72 | Live Oak | 15,875 | 2,819 | 17.76% |
73 | Commerce | 9,211 | 1,632 | 17.72% |
74 | Euless | 60,373 | 10,398 | 17.22% |
75 | Pflugerville | 65,162 | 11,014 | 16.9% |
76 | Anna | 20,975 | 3,399 | 16.21% |
77 | Bryan | 86,169 | 13,819 | 16.04% |
78 | Mount Pleasant | 16,061 | 2,505 | 15.6% |
79 | Livingston | 5,728 | 893 | 15.59% |
80 | Bay City | 17,816 | 2,741 | 15.39% |
81 | Garland | 245,298 | 37,485 | 15.28% |
82 | Baytown | 84,538 | 12,848 | 15.2% |
83 | Forney | 28,222 | 4,279 | 15.16% |
84 | Waxahachie | 43,591 | 6,598 | 15.14% |
85 | Greenville | 29,936 | 4,481 | 14.97% |
86 | Gatesville | 16,058 | 2,398 | 14.93% |
87 | Corsicana | 25,344 | 3,704 | 14.61% |
88 | Bellmead | 10,550 | 1,536 | 14.56% |
89 | Galveston | 53,348 | 7,734 | 14.5% |
90 | Copperas Cove | 37,149 | 5,321 | 14.32% |
91 | Cibolo | 33,829 | 4,811 | 14.22% |
92 | Wylie | 58,991 | 8,329 | 14.12% |
93 | Athens | 13,013 | 1,834 | 14.09% |
94 | Kilgore | 13,444 | 1,826 | 13.58% |
95 | Sachse | 29,075 | 3,936 | 13.54% |
96 | Sulphur Springs | 16,185 | 2,175 | 13.44% |
97 | Lewisville | 128,313 | 17,235 | 13.43% |
98 | Bonham | 10,594 | 1,413 | 13.34% |
99 | Bedford | 49,191 | 6,446 | 13.1% |
100 | Temple | 86,358 | 10,995 | 12.73% |
Someone REALLY needs to change the title of this page to largest *percentage* of black residents, because with nearly half a million black residents, Houston has *by far* the largest black population.
Great we need this type of information.