States In The United States With The Largest Black Population For 2024


The most African American states in the US are Mississippi and Louisiana for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most African American states in the United States research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the states with the highest percentage of black residents for 2024. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2018-2022 vintage, which breaks down race by origin.

  • The state with the highest percentage of African Americans is Mississippi. 37.13% of people in Mississippi are black.

  • The state with the lowest percentage of African Americans is Montana. 0.48% of people in Montana are black.

  • The state with the most African Americans is Texas. 3,449,557 people in Texas are black.

  • The state with the fewest African Americans is Wyoming. 4,488 people in Wyoming are black.

  • The United States has 40,146,392 African Americans and is 12.13% black.

Most Africa American States In America Map

Click to enlarge

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The United States is a very diverse place. According to Wikipedia, there are seven major races in America. But which state has the most African Americans as a percentage?

We know what you’re thinking: some state in the south.

But the question on the top of your mind must be which one exactly? Based on all the articles we’ve written in the last ten years, we put our money on Alabama.

What’s the state with the largest African American population? Well, according to the most recent Census data, Mississippi is the state with the highest percentage of black Americans.

Close, but no cigar on our guess.

The 10 States With The Largest Percentage Of African American Population In The United States For 2024

  1. Mississippi
  2. Louisiana
  3. Georgia
  4. Maryland
  5. Alabama
  6. South Carolina
  7. Delaware
  8. North Carolina
  9. Virginia
  10. Tennessee

African American Population By State In The United States Map

Click to enlarge

The South certainly dominates this list, with Maryland being as far north as you’ll get in the top 10. You’ll also find the most African American city in America in Mississippi – Jackson.

We’re going to talk about the states with the biggest black populations and list some famous black Americans born there. For exactly how we calculated these rankings, read on. Or, if you’re interested in reading something else, check out:

The 10 Blackest States In America For 2024

1. Mississippi

Mississippi|Ms, MS

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 2,958,846
African American: 1,098,675
Percent African American: 37.1%
Percent African American 2010: 36.9%
Percent Change: 1.3%
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
More On Mississippi: Rent

Which state is the blackest in America? Yep, Mississippi. In Mississippi, 37.1% of residents are black, which is 1.27% higher than ten years ago. There are nearly 400 times more blacks in Mississippi than there are in the state of Montana.

Jackson Mississippi ranks 2nd in America for percentage of black residents at 80%. The only other city in America with a higher concentration of black Americans is Detroit, where the black population makes up 83% of the total population. There are ten cities in Mississippi with more than 5,000 residents that are at least 70% black.

Oprah Winfrey is from Mississippi. So is James Earl Jones. Record producer Ray J hails from McComb, Mississippi.

2. Louisiana

Louisiana|La, LA

Source: Public domain

Population: 4,640,546
African American: 1,456,107
Percent African American: 31.4%
Percent African American 2010: 31.6%
Percent Change: 4.2%
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
More On Louisiana: Rent

Moving on, we come to the second blackest state in America, which is Louisiana. In Louisiana, 31.4% of residents are black, a 4.17% increase in the last ten years. Now, 80,000 more black Americans live in Louisiana than a decade ago.

Monroe suburb Bastrop and Baton Rouge suburb Baker are both small towns and have the highest concentration of blacks in Louisiana at 80%. New Orleans is 60% black – the 7th highest black population of large cities in the US. New Orleans is considered the birthplace of jazz music. Jambalaya, gumbo, and other southern soul foods also have their roots in Louisiana.

Actor Tyler Perry, newsman Bryant Gumbel, and NBA great Karl Malone all have Louisiana roots.

3. Georgia

Georgia|Ga, GA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 10,722,325
African American: 3,334,095
Percent African American: 31.1%
Percent African American 2010: 30.0%
Percent Change: 17.2%
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
More On Georgia: Rent

Let’s move on to our next blackest state in the US. It’s Georgia. Georgia’s black population is 31.1%, which is almost 1% higher than it was ten years ago. In terms of actual numbers, there are 3.1 million African Americans in Georgia – second only to the state of Texas, which has 3.8 million black Americans.

Union City, an Atlanta suburb, has the highest black population in Georgia at 86%. Savannah, Georgia is 56% black. Atlanta’s black population continues to move into the suburbs. Ten years ago, Atlanta’s black population was 61%. Now, it’s 54%.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta. He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968. As such, Atlanta is home to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Other famous people from Georgia are singer Kanye West, actress Raven Symone, and singer Ray Charles.

4. Maryland

Maryland|Md, MD

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 6,161,707
African American: 1,815,877
Percent African American: 29.5%
Percent African American 2010: 28.9%
Percent Change: 10.4%
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
More On Maryland: Rent

Where’s our next blackest state in America? That’s Maryland. The main reason Maryland has a large black population is because of Baltimore. Maryland’s total population is 5.2 million. 29.5% of the population in Maryland is black, and 65% of Baltimore’s 620,000 residents are black. A quarter of all black residents in Maryland are in Baltimore.

Other cities in Maryland with a high black population are District Heights and Glenarden. In District Heights, the black population is 86%. Nearby, Washington DC’s black population is 60%.

Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was a Civil War Scout, Honorary General, Union Spy, Nurse, and Civil Rights Activist who helped rescue 70 enslaved people. Civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall, NAACP founder W.E.B. Dubois, and rapper Rye Rye are also notable people born in Maryland.

5. Alabama

Alabama|Al, AL

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 5,028,092
African American: 1,318,388
Percent African American: 26.2%
Percent African American 2010: 26.0%
Percent Change: 7.5%
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
More On Alabama: Rent

Our next blackest state in America is Alabama. In Alabama, 26.2% – or more than 1 in 4 residents is black – which is twice as high as the national average. That’s a 7.5% increase in the last ten years. Tuskegee, a city with 8,500 residents, is 95% black – the highest number of black residents in one city in the state of Alabama. Birmingham is 71% black – and it has the 4th highest black population in America. Nearby Montgomery is 57% black. It has the 9th highest black population in America.

Perhaps the most memorable historical African American event in Alabama took place in Montgomery, Alabama, when, in 1955, Rosa Parks stood up against racial segregation by refusing to move to the back of the bus. That led to a Supreme Court ruling that segregated buses were unconstitutional, which led the inspiration to a chain of events that led to President Lyndon Johnson’s Civil Rights Act in 1964, which outlawed racial segregation.

Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, activist Angela Davis, superstar athlete Bo Jackson, and musician Clarence Carter are all from Alabama.

6. South Carolina

South-Carolina|Sc, SC

Source: Public domain

Population: 5,142,750
African American: 1,316,074
Percent African American: 25.6%
Percent African American 2010: 28.0%
Percent Change: 4.3%
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
More On South Carolina: Rent

Where is our sixth blackest state in America? South Carolina. In South Carolina, 25.6% of the population is black. That’s a 4.25% from the black population ten years ago, meaning South Carolina is one of only two states on this list to see a decrease in its black population as a percentage of the state’s total population.

Marion, South Carolina is the blackest city in the state, at 78%. Columbia, the state’s capital, is 40% black.

Famous black Americans from South Carolina include musician Dizzy Gillespie and Dr. Benjamin Mays, the father of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

7. Delaware

Delaware|De, DE

Source: Public domain

Population: 993,635
African American: 213,516
Percent African American: 21.5%
Percent African American 2010: 20.6%
Percent Change: 17.4%
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
More On Delaware: Rent

Which of the American states has the seventh most black Americans? Delaware. In Delaware, 21.5% of residents are black. The black population in Delaware has increased by 17.37% in the last ten years. Delaware has the 5th lowest population overall of all US states.

Wilmington and Dover are the biggest cities in Delaware and have the largest black populations. Wilmington’s black population is 57%, and Dover’s is 40%. About a third of the total number of blacks in Delaware live in these two cities alone.

Delaware State University in Dover is a historically black university with a higher-than-average number of black middle-class residents. Delaware was the first state to join the Union in 1787. It was also considered a border state, but Delaware didn’t abolish slavery for good until the 13th Amendment was passed in 1865. Notable black Americans from Delaware include NBA players A.J. English and Stevie Graham and jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown.

8. North Carolina

North-Carolina|Nc, NC

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 2.0

Population: 10,470,214
African American: 2,161,841
Percent African American: 20.6%
Percent African American 2010: 21.2%
Percent Change: 10.2%
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
More On North Carolina: Rent

We’re going to move on to our next blackest state in America. It is… North Carolina.

In North Carolina, there are just over ten million people. More than two million are black, giving North Carolina a 20.6% black population. Fayetteville, North Carolina has the largest black population in the state. Fayetteville has 200,000 residents, and 42% are black. Other cities with large populations of black Americans in North Carolina are Kinston, Rocky Mount, and Wilson. Kinston’s black population is 65%.

Durham, North Carolina is home to what is now called Black Wall Street. The city was a financial center formed by several prominent black entrepreneurs. Booker T Washington spoke many times about how relaxed race relations were in Durham at the time. Harriet Jacobs, America’s most famous female slave narrator, was born in Edenton, North Carolina. TV personality and writer Star Jones was born in Baden, North Carolina. Singer/rapper Jermaine Dupri grew up in Asheville.

9. Virginia

Virginia|Va, VA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 3.0

Population: 8,624,511
African American: 1,601,668
Percent African American: 18.6%
Percent African American 2010: 19.3%
Percent Change: 6.0%
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
More On Virginia: Rent

We will remain in the South as we visit our next blackest state in America, Virginia. Here, the percentage of black Americans is 18.6%. What’s interesting about Virginia is that the black population is decreasing here. Back in 2010, the black population of Virginia was 19.3%, so that means there are 4% fewer black Americans in Virginia now.

Here in Virginia, Petersburg, Emporia, and Franklin have the largest black populations. Petersburg is 75% black. Virginia Beach is 20% black – and it has the highest number of African Americans in a city in Virginia.

Hampton University is here – it was one of the first black colleges in the US. Brown vs. Board of Education protests first started in Virginia. Those protests led to an end to racial segregation in public schools. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson is from Virginia. He was a dancer best known for his tap dancing with child star Shirley Temple. Tennis star Arthur Ashe was born here.

10. Tennessee

Tennessee|Tn, TN

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 6,923,772
African American: 1,116,871
Percent African American: 16.1%
Percent African American 2010: 16.5%
Percent Change: 8.3%
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
More On Tennessee: Rent

In Tennessee, the percentage of Black residents is 16.1%. For comparison, in the whitest state in America, Montana, the black population is .2%. There are also only 2,359 Black Americans in the entire state of Montana. In Tennessee, there are 1,116,871 black Americans. That means there are 394 times more African Americans in Tennessee than there are in Montana.

Here in Tennessee, the large metro areas such as Memphis make up a large percentage of the black population. In Memphis, more than two-thirds of the population is black. That’s the tenth-highest ratio of black citizens in America. For comparison, in Detroit, the black population is 82%.

Other cities in Tennessee with a majority of blacks include Bolivar, Brownsville, and Whiteville.

Green Bay Packer Reggie White, disco singer Edmund Sylvers, and rapper Young Buck are all from Tennessee.

How We Determined The Most African American States in The US

When we analyze the racial demographics of states, we use Saturday Night Science to look at statistics. In particular, we can look to the recently released 2018-2022 American Community Survey for a detailed breakdown of race by state.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002, which has the breakdown of people by Hispanic/Latino and race.

We looked at the percentage of the population of each state that identified as non-Hispanic/Latino black. We then ranked each city from 1 to 50 in terms of that percentage, with the state having the highest overall rate being named the “State In America with the Largest African American population” — Mississippi.

The “least African American” state according to the data? That would be Montana which is only 0.48% African American as of the latest data. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the most African American states in America.

There You Have It — The States With The Largest Black Populations in the US

Based on recent trends, the South might not continue to dominate this list in the years to come — well, maybe decades — as Northern states continue to attract large swaths of the black population.

But until then, we’ll keep seeing southern states at the top of the list. And we’ll guess that Mississippi is still the blackest state for the next several years.

The most African American states in the United States are Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.

The least African American states in the United States are Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon, New Mexico, and Hawaii.

For more reading, check out:

Black Population By State In The US For 2024

Rank State Population Black Population % Black
1 Mississippi 2,958,846 1,098,675 37.1%
2 Louisiana 4,640,546 1,456,107 31.4%
3 Georgia 10,722,325 3,334,095 31.1%
4 Maryland 6,161,707 1,815,877 29.5%
5 Alabama 5,028,092 1,318,388 26.2%
6 South Carolina 5,142,750 1,316,074 25.6%
7 Delaware 993,635 213,516 21.5%
8 North Carolina 10,470,214 2,161,841 20.6%
9 Virginia 8,624,511 1,601,668 18.6%
10 Tennessee 6,923,772 1,116,871 16.1%
11 Arkansas 3,018,669 454,728 15.1%
12 Florida 21,634,529 3,232,871 14.9%
13 New York 19,994,379 2,767,223 13.8%
14 Illinois 12,757,634 1,744,151 13.7%
15 Michigan 10,057,921 1,346,918 13.4%
16 New Jersey 9,249,063 1,147,770 12.4%
17 Ohio 11,774,683 1,431,238 12.2%
18 Texas 29,243,342 3,449,557 11.8%
19 Missouri 6,154,422 688,219 11.2%
20 Pennsylvania 12,989,208 1,347,784 10.4%
21 Connecticut 3,611,317 355,970 9.9%
22 Indiana 6,784,403 631,919 9.3%
23 Nevada 3,104,817 278,689 9.0%
24 Kentucky 4,502,935 355,368 7.9%
25 Oklahoma 3,970,497 277,702 7.0%
26 Minnesota 5,695,292 377,173 6.6%
27 Massachusetts 6,984,205 459,848 6.6%
28 Wisconsin 5,882,128 356,150 6.1%
29 Kansas 2,935,922 157,768 5.4%
30 California 39,356,104 2,102,510 5.3%
31 Rhode Island 1,094,250 58,304 5.3%
32 Nebraska 1,958,939 91,357 4.7%
33 Arizona 7,172,282 307,726 4.3%
34 Colorado 5,770,790 221,211 3.8%
35 Washington 7,688,549 290,907 3.8%
36 Iowa 3,188,836 117,940 3.7%
37 West Virginia 1,792,967 60,237 3.4%
38 North Dakota 776,874 24,882 3.2%
39 Alaska 734,821 22,400 3.0%
40 South Dakota 890,342 19,172 2.2%
41 Hawaii 1,450,589 26,664 1.8%
42 New Mexico 2,112,463 37,996 1.8%
43 Oregon 4,229,374 75,790 1.8%
44 Maine 1,366,949 21,093 1.5%
45 New Hampshire 1,379,610 18,477 1.3%
46 Vermont 643,816 7,548 1.2%
47 Utah 3,283,809 34,485 1.1%
48 Wyoming 577,929 4,488 0.8%
49 Idaho 1,854,109 11,919 0.6%
50 Montana 1,091,840 5,248 0.5%

African American Places By State

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 “States In The United States With The Largest Black Population For 2024

  1. I have to take issue with your stating Virginia is as far north as you get in the top 10. Maryland and Delaware are both farther north than Virginia. Seems like a glaring error since this has been updated a few times. Also geography might be a good thing for someone in Real Estate to understand.

Leave a Reply

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