THE BLACK POPULATION 

  

The last official count of our US Population was in the 2010 Census.  According to the 2010 Census, there were 42,020,743 Black/Afro-Americans out of a total population of 308,745,538.  That means that Afro-Americans made up 13.6% of the US Population when the Census was taken.

The US Census Bureau also does Yearly Population estimates.  The latest one available is from 2014.  According to those estimates, the Black/Afro-American Population has increased to 45,672,250 of a total US Population of 318,857,056 or 14.3% of the current population.

2010 CENSUS – Self Identification

Now there are several things you should consider when reviewing these figures:

1. The Census is based on self-identification, so the individual decides what race he/she is!
2. For the first time in the Census of 2000, Individuals were able to self- identify with more than one race.  Since America has always unofficially gone with the “One Drop” philosophy, or that one drop of African-American blood makes you African-American, the numbers above include those who describe themselves as Afro-American alone and those who self describe themselves as Afro-American in combinations.
3. The Census form provided 5 potential selections for race: a.)White, b.) Black or Afro-American, c.) American Indian of Alaska Native, d.)Asian, e.) Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and f.) Some other race.  FYI, for purposes of the census, Hispanic is not considered a race; it is viewed more as a heritage or national origin, such as Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc.
4.  The Census Bureau also defined as black anyone that selected or marked his form as Negro, as being from African Nations such as Kenya or Nigeria, or Afro-Caribbean entries such as Haitian or Jamaican.
5. In the 2010 Census, 38,929,319 individuals reported as black alone.  Another 3,091,424 reported as black in combination.

According to a report on Population from the Census bureau, the total American population grew 9.7% from 2000 -2010.  During that same period, the Afro-American population grew 12%

The 2010 Census also concluded that the majority of blacks (55%) lived in the south.  The south, for census purposes includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, NC, SC, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.  Total Black Population in the south is 23,105,082 or 20.2% of the total south Population.

Black Population Rankings by Region

      REGION             BLACK POP.           %BLACK                         <a >

1. South                      23,105,082             (20.2%)
2. Midwest                   7,594,486              (11.3%)
3. Northeast                7,187,488              (13.0%
4. West                         4,133,687               (5.7%)

 

Black Population Rankings by State

According to the Census, The Top 10 States for Afro-Americans contain 60% of the total Black Population. Those states (including the black population and percentage of blacks in that state) are as follows:

           STATE              BLACK POP.    %BLACK

1.  New York               3,334,550              (17.2%)
2.  Florida                    3,200,663             (17.0%)
3.  Texas                       3,168,469             (12.6%)
4.  Georgia                   3,054,098            (31.5%)
5.  California               2,683,914             (7.2%)
6.  North Carolina      2,151,456              (22.6%)
7.  Illinois                     1,974,113              (15.4%)
8.  Maryland                1,783,889             (30.9%)
9.  Virginia                   1,653,563             (20.7%)
10.  Ohio                         1,541,771              (13.4%)

Other States with a high percentage of African-Americans would be:

       STATE                   %BLACK

1. Mississippi        37.6%
2. Louisiana           32.8%
3. South Carolina  28.8%
4. Alabama             26.8%
5. Delaware            22.9%

A noteworthy statistic on the states would be those that increased their percentage of African-Americans the most between the 2000 and 2010 Census.  They were:

     Black Population Percentage Increase

1.  Maine                      127.8%
2.  South Dakota         119.9%
3.  Vermont                  108.0%
4.  North Dakota         106.4%
5.  Idaho                          96.1%
6.  Arizona                       71.7%

Obviously, these states had so few blacks to begin, it was easy for them to increase their percentages, but interesting nonetheless!

Another interesting point – of the 6 states that have a greater than 25% black population, 5 of them have voted Republican in at least 7 of the last 9 presidential elections. (Maryland being the only state that bucked that trend).  So much for political power or being able to forge coalitions to gain some political power!!!!!!  At least on the state level!

Also, I always assumed that the District of Columbia was at least 90% Black.  However, according to the census, DC is only 52% African-American!

Black Population by City

The top 10 cities for black population is as follows:

          CITY              BLACK POP.

1.  New York        2,228,145
2.  Chicago                913,009
3.  Philadelphia        686,870
4.  Detroit                  601,988
5.  Houston               514,217
6.  Memphis              414,928
7.  Baltimore             403,998
8.  Los Angeles          402,448
9.  Washington DC   314,352
10.  Dallas                    308,087

Cities with the largest percentage of Black Population

         CITY              %BLACK POPULATION

1. Detroit MI                 84.3%
2. Jackson MS               80.1%
3. Miami Gardens FL   77.9%
4. Birmingham AL        74.0%
5. Baltimore MD           65.1%
6. Memphis TN             64.1%
7. New Orleans LA       61.2%
8. Flint MI                      59.5%
9. Montgomery AL       57.4%
10. Savannah GA            56.7%

I hope this post provides some perspective for you on the population of Afro-Americans here in the US.  If you would like to a closer look at the data for yourself, click here!

This book may also be of interest to those of you interested in how prison affects our population