The 10 Texas Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2022


We used science and data to determine which cities in Texas have the largest African American population.

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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 Texas is 3,367,449 - 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. 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 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 2022:

  1. Prairie View
  2. Lancaster
  3. DeSoto
  4. Cedar Hill
  5. Jasper
  6. Marlin
  7. Forest Hill
  8. Beaumont
  9. Glenn Heights
  10. Crockett

What's the blackest city in Texas? Prairie View took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas or the most diverse places in Texas.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Texas For 2022

1. Prairie View

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,813
% African American: 90.94%
# Of African American Residents: 6,196
Percent Change Since 2010: 30.83%
More on Prairie View: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Prairie View, TX

2. Lancaster

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 39,264
% African American: 72.03%
# Of African American Residents: 28,280
Percent Change Since 2010: 22.89%
More on Lancaster: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Lancaster, TX

3. Desoto

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 53,170
% African American: 67.78%
# Of African American Residents: 36,039
Percent Change Since 2010: 20.05%
More on Desoto: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Desoto, TX

Source: Public domain

4. Cedar Hill

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 48,337
% African American: 53.58%
# Of African American Residents: 25,898
Percent Change Since 2010: 22.45%
More on Cedar Hill: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cedar Hill, TX

5. Jasper

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,556
% African American: 52.91%
# Of African American Residents: 3,998
Percent Change Since 2010: 28.31%
More on Jasper: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Jasper, TX

6. Marlin

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,602
% African American: 48.36%
# Of African American Residents: 2,709
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.55%
More on Marlin: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Marlin, TX

7. Forest Hill

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,964
% African American: 47.96%
# Of African American Residents: 6,217
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.63%
More on Forest Hill: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Forest Hill, TX

8. Beaumont

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 117,321
% African American: 44.78%
# Of African American Residents: 52,538
Percent Change Since 2010: -3.52%
More on Beaumont: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Beaumont, TX

Source: Public domain

9. Glenn Heights

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,228
% African American: 43.27%
# Of African American Residents: 5,724
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.37%
More on Glenn Heights: Real Estate | Data

10. Crockett

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,424
% African American: 42.98%
# Of African American Residents: 2,761
Percent Change Since 2010: -21.58%
More on Crockett: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Crockett, TX

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Texas 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 Texas.

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*
* Not Hispanic or latino

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 328 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 90.9% 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. Prairie View took the distinction of being the most Black, while Progreso was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

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:

  1. Progreso
  2. Bridge City
  3. Port Isabel

For more Texas reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Texas

Rank City % African American Population
1 Prairie View 90.94% 6,813
2 Lancaster 72.03% 39,264
3 Desoto 67.78% 53,170
4 Cedar Hill 53.58% 48,337
5 Jasper 52.91% 7,556
6 Marlin 48.36% 5,602
7 Forest Hill 47.96% 12,964
8 Beaumont 44.78% 117,321
9 Glenn Heights 43.27% 13,228
10 Crockett 42.98% 6,424
11 Hempstead 42.63% 8,056
12 Port Arthur 42.05% 54,705
13 Missouri City 39.58% 75,348
14 Texarkana 39.53% 36,733
15 Marshall 38.85% 22,881
16 Atlanta 35.18% 5,458
17 Killeen 34.8% 148,573
18 Orange 33.35% 18,458
19 La Marque 31.33% 16,983
20 Humble 31.31% 15,819
21 Red Oak 30.83% 13,010
22 Duncanville 30.83% 39,096
23 Stafford 30.37% 16,904
24 Mexia 29.74% 7,319
25 Lacy-Lakeview 28.65% 6,698
26 Texas City 28.51% 49,468
27 Silsbee 28.43% 6,642
28 Navasota 28.15% 7,786
29 Elgin 27.29% 10,231
30 Palestine 26.88% 17,906
31 Balch Springs 26.76% 25,123
32 Rusk 26.76% 5,598
33 Nacogdoches 26.37% 32,912
34 Center 26.36% 5,178
35 Everman 26.27% 6,232
36 Huntsville 26.25% 41,664
37 Wharton 25.87% 8,654
38 Terrell 25.35% 18,513
39 Lufkin 25.19% 35,336
40 Mesquite 25.08% 142,429
41 Dallas 23.98% 1,338,846
42 Tyler 23.33% 105,859
43 Wake Village 23.24% 5,611
44 Harker Heights 23.0% 31,657
45 Commerce 22.66% 9,473
46 Richmond 22.63% 12,592
47 Arlington 22.41% 397,269
48 Brenham 22.41% 17,297
49 Longview 22.36% 82,183
50 Hitchcock 22.36% 7,831
51 Houston 22.3% 2,313,238
52 Paris 22.19% 24,814
53 Mansfield 21.81% 71,419
54 Cleveland 21.46% 8,150
55 Henderson 21.11% 13,145
56 Crowley 20.83% 15,972
57 Grand Prairie 20.6% 193,835
58 Converse 20.44% 27,582
59 Jacksonville 20.31% 14,809
60 Waco 20.26% 137,779
61 Rowlett 19.94% 65,426
62 Little Elm 19.74% 49,792
63 Carthage 18.78% 6,442
64 Pearland 18.6% 125,817
65 Fort Worth 18.22% 892,221
66 Live Oak 17.96% 16,118
67 Bellmead 17.81% 10,763
68 Webster 17.75% 11,229
69 Livingston 17.38% 5,162
70 Athens 17.31% 12,667
71 Corsicana 16.96% 23,736
72 Cuero 16.88% 8,246
73 Hillsboro 16.69% 8,384
74 Bryan 16.67% 85,645
75 Gatesville 16.56% 13,513
76 Euless 16.54% 56,334
77 Edna 15.94% 5,729
78 Galveston 15.88% 50,307
79 Princeton 15.74% 12,208
80 Cibolo 15.69% 30,333
81 Baytown 15.48% 76,089
82 Freeport 15.34% 12,184
83 Seagoville 15.11% 16,726
84 Liberty 15.01% 9,299
85 Ennis 14.96% 19,917
86 Rosenberg 14.83% 37,816
87 Temple 14.51% 76,590
88 Pflugerville 14.26% 63,610
89 Bay City 14.25% 17,672
90 Cameron 14.24% 5,476
91 Garland 14.17% 238,622
92 Kennedale 14.08% 8,393
93 Gladewater 13.93% 5,960
94 Copperas Cove 13.9% 32,960
95 Mount Pleasant 13.82% 17,058
96 Murphy 13.73% 20,711
97 Hutto 13.68% 26,778
98 Sulphur Springs 13.67% 16,091
99 Irving 13.55% 240,475
100 Forney 13.32% 23,871

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the cities in Texas with the largest African American population.

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.