Most African American cities in Texas research summary. We analyzed 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 93.21% Black.
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The least African American city in Texas is Port Isabel.
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Port Isabel is 0.0% Black.
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Texas is 11.8% 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 3,401,742 – at 11.8% 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 2023:
Most African American Places In Texas
What’s the blackest city in Texas? The city with the largest Black population in Texas for 2023 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 2023
1. Prairie View
/10
Population: 6,464
% African American: 93.21%
# Of African American Residents: 6,025
Percent Change Since 2010: 27.22%
More on Prairie View: Data | Cost Of Living
2. Lancaster
/10
Population: 41,057
% African American: 67.82%
# Of African American Residents: 27,843
Percent Change Since 2010: 20.99%
More on Lancaster: Data | Cost Of Living
3. Desoto
/10
Population: 55,761
% African American: 66.76%
# Of African American Residents: 37,227
Percent Change Since 2010: 24.01%
More on Desoto: Data | Cost Of Living
4. Cedar Hill
/10
Population: 48,968
% African American: 51.23%
# Of African American Residents: 25,084
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.6%
More on Cedar Hill: Data | Cost Of Living
5. Glenn Heights
/10
Population: 15,741
% African American: 48.28%
# Of African American Residents: 7,599
Percent Change Since 2010: 33.25%
More on Glenn Heights: Data | Cost Of Living
6. Hempstead
/10
Population: 5,709
% African American: 48.05%
# Of African American Residents: 2,743
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.18%
More on Hempstead: Data | Cost Of Living
7. Marlin
/10
Population: 5,512
% African American: 45.94%
# Of African American Residents: 2,532
Percent Change Since 2010: -8.92%
More on Marlin: Data | Cost Of Living
8. Beaumont
/10
Population: 115,013
% African American: 45.84%
# Of African American Residents: 52,717
Percent Change Since 2010: -3.19%
More on Beaumont: Data | Cost Of Living
9. Jasper
/10
Population: 7,070
% African American: 45.66%
# Of African American Residents: 3,228
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.59%
More on Jasper: Data | Cost Of Living
10. Port Arthur
/10
Population: 55,757
% African American: 42.57%
# Of African American Residents: 23,734
Percent Change Since 2010: 9.42%
More on Port Arthur: Data | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Texas 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 race breakdown across Texas.
That leads 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*
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 326 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 93.2% 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 Port Isabel was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2023. 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.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Texas:
- Port Isabel
- Lumberton
- Los Fresnos
For more Texas reading, check out:
African American Population By City In Texas
| Rank | City | % African American |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prairie View | 93.21% |
| 2 | Lancaster | 67.82% |
| 3 | Desoto | 66.76% |
| 4 | Cedar Hill | 51.23% |
| 5 | Glenn Heights | 48.28% |
| 6 | Hempstead | 48.05% |
| 7 | Marlin | 45.94% |
| 8 | Beaumont | 45.84% |
| 9 | Jasper | 45.66% |
| 10 | Port Arthur | 42.57% |
| 11 | Forest Hill | 42.5% |
| 12 | Crockett | 41.66% |
| 13 | Missouri City | 40.29% |
| 14 | Texarkana | 38.87% |
| 15 | Marshall | 37.84% |
| 16 | Killeen | 34.94% |
| 17 | Center | 33.44% |
| 18 | Red Oak | 32.44% |
| 19 | Atlanta | 32.42% |
| 20 | Duncanville | 31.0% |
| 21 | Mexia | 30.49% |
| 22 | Palestine | 29.75% |
| 23 | La Marque | 29.75% |
| 24 | Navasota | 29.2% |
| 25 | Orange | 29.18% |
| 26 | Lacy-Lakeview | 29.0% |
| 27 | Silsbee | 27.73% |
| 28 | Nacogdoches | 27.23% |
| 29 | Everman | 27.02% |
| 30 | Wharton | 26.68% |
| 31 | Texas City | 26.52% |
| 32 | Huntsville | 26.19% |
| 33 | Harker Heights | 25.79% |
| 34 | Balch Springs | 25.78% |
| 35 | Stafford | 25.61% |
| 36 | Tyler | 24.84% |
| 37 | Paris | 24.31% |
| 38 | Rusk | 24.14% |
| 39 | Dallas | 23.72% |
| 40 | Elgin | 23.57% |
| 41 | Mesquite | 23.41% |
| 42 | Lufkin | 23.4% |
| 43 | Terrell | 23.12% |
| 44 | Henderson | 22.89% |
| 45 | Brenham | 22.58% |
| 46 | Grand Prairie | 22.57% |
| 47 | Commerce | 22.48% |
| 48 | Arlington | 22.37% |
| 49 | Humble | 22.18% |
| 50 | Mansfield | 22.17% |
| 51 | Houston | 22.13% |
| 52 | Richmond | 22.05% |
| 53 | Longview | 22.05% |
| 54 | Crowley | 22.04% |
| 55 | Cleveland | 20.73% |
| 56 | Rowlett | 20.58% |
| 57 | Converse | 20.57% |
| 58 | Waco | 20.55% |
| 59 | Hitchcock | 20.15% |
| 60 | Little Elm | 19.58% |
| 61 | Wake Village | 19.47% |
| 62 | Pearland | 19.25% |
| 63 | Jacksonville | 18.75% |
| 64 | Athens | 18.63% |
| 65 | Princeton | 18.56% |
| 66 | Fort Worth | 18.46% |
| 67 | Bryan | 17.47% |
| 68 | Livingston | 17.01% |
| 69 | Cibolo | 16.95% |
| 70 | Addison | 16.3% |
| 71 | Euless | 16.27% |
| 72 | Copperas Cove | 16.1% |
| 73 | Corsicana | 15.88% |
| 74 | Galveston | 15.81% |
| 75 | Baytown | 15.78% |
| 76 | Pflugerville | 15.64% |
| 77 | Forney | 15.57% |
| 78 | Hillsboro | 15.43% |
| 79 | Gatesville | 15.4% |
| 80 | Edna | 15.35% |
| 81 | Live Oak | 15.19% |
| 82 | Anna | 15.02% |
| 83 | Garland | 15.0% |
| 84 | Kennedale | 14.95% |
| 85 | Bellmead | 14.89% |
| 86 | Freeport | 14.86% |
| 87 | Webster | 14.81% |
| 88 | Liberty | 14.61% |
| 89 | Cuero | 14.54% |
| 90 | Seagoville | 14.25% |
| 91 | Gladewater | 14.09% |
| 92 | Temple | 13.82% |
| 93 | Fairview | 13.71% |
| 94 | Kilgore | 13.64% |
| 95 | Mount Pleasant | 13.61% |
| 96 | Clute | 13.47% |
| 97 | Bay City | 13.42% |
| 98 | Lewisville | 13.35% |
| 99 | Irving | 13.18% |
| 100 | Waxahachie | 13.17% |
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.