BLACK DEMOGRAPHICS

Metro Areas With Largest African American Population

(2014 Census ACS estimates Black Alone*)
Click on the city name for more details about each city

Select Cities With A Large Percentage Of Black Or African American People

Top Ten Cities With 100,000 Or More Total Population Ad The Highest Percentages Of Blacks Or Africa- Americans, Alone Or Mixed With Other Races:
Ten cities with 100,000 or more total population and the highest percentage "Black in combination" (mixed with other races):

Cities with the highest number of Blacks or African Americans

Ten cities with 100,000 or more total population
and the highest number of Blacks or African Americans

Select cities with a large percentage of Black or African American people

The following data was sourced from the 2010 U.S. Census:

2010 Regional Population of Black America

More than half (55%) of the African American population lives in the South. Although the Black Population has increased in all US regions since 1990, the South has had the most growth. In 1910, 89%  of all blacks still lived in the South, and 80% of these in rural areas. In the years that followed world cotton prices plummeted, large farming areas became infested with boll weevil, and severe floods consumed the Mississippi Valley.

World war I brought a major labor shortage to the industrial North’s urban areas. First Great Migration brought some 1.5 million Black people north and west between 1916 and 1930  By 1960, 40% of all blacks lived outside the South, while 75% of all blacks lived in cities. The second Great Black Migration occurred between 1940 and 1970. This brought 5 million Black Southerners North and West. By 1970, 47 percent of the nation’s African Americans lived outside the South, and more than 80 percent were in urban areas.

List of U.S. counties with African-American majority populations in 2000

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following is a list of United States counties in which a majority (over 50%) of the population is African American or Black, according to data from the 2000 Census. The list below is organized by state and the percentage of each county's population that is African American is listed in parentheses next to the county's name.

County-equivalents, such as independent cities (e.g., St. Louis, Missouri and any municipality in Virginia incorporated as a city), are included in this list.
ContentsAlabamaArkansasFloridaGeorgiaLouisianaMarylandMississippiMissouriNorth CarolinaSouth CarolinaTennesseeVirginiaNational rankings

The Cities Where African-Americans Are Doing The Best Economically

No. 1: Atlanta, GA
Median Household Income: $41,803
Home Ownership Rate: 46.9%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 17.1%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 49.9%
No. 2: Raleigh, NC
Median Household Income: $42,285
Home Ownership Rate: 46.7%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 12.8%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 55.9%
No. 3: Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV
Median Household Income: $64,896
Home Ownership Rate: 49.2%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 15.1%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 19.7%
No. 4: Baltimore, MD
Median Household Income: $47,898
Home Ownership Rate: 46.2%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 15.0%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 15.6%
No. 4: Charlotte  NC-SC
Median Household Income: $36,522
Home Ownership Rate: %43.9
No. 6: Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA
Median Household Income: $40,677
Home Ownership Rate: 43.8%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 13.2%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 34.6%
No. 7: Orlando, FL
Median Household Income: $33,982
Home Ownership Rate: 43.8%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 11.0%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 58.9%
No. 8: Miami, FL
Median Household Income: $36,749
Home Ownership Rate: 44.9%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 11.2%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 32.4%
No. 8: Richmond, VA
Median Household Income: $38,899
Home Ownership Rate: 47.8%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 12.7%
Change In Population, 2000-13: 17.9
No. 8: San Antonio, TX
Median Household Income: $41,681
Home Ownership Rate: 40.8%
Share Who Are Self-Employed: 9.3%
Change In Population, 2000-13: %43.3

I cover demographic, social and economic trends around the world.
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In the first half of the 20th century, African-Americans fled the former Confederate states for economic opportunity, to escape from institutional racism and, sometimes, for their lives. This pattern, notes demographer Bill Frey, began to reverse itself in the 1970s, with Southern states becoming destinations for black migrants. Since 2000, when the Census registered the first increase in the region’s black population in more than a century, this trend has accelerated, with African-Americans leaving not just the Northeast or Midwest, but the West Coast as well.

Today, Dixie has emerged, in many ways, as the new promised land for African-Americans. In our survey the South accounts for a remarkable 13 of the top 15 metro areas.

At the top of our list is Atlanta, long hailed as the unofficial capital of Black America. The city, which in the 1960s advertised itself as “the city too busy to hate,” has long lured ambitious African-Americans. With its well-established religious and educational institutions, notably Spelman and Morehouse, which are ranked first and third, respectively, by US News among the nation’s historically black colleges, the area has arguably the strongest infrastructure for African-American advancement in the country. The region’s strong music and art scene has also made it an “epicenter for black glitterati” and culture.

The superlatives extend well beyond glamour to the basics of everyday life. Some 46.9% the metro area’s black population owned their own homes as of 2013, well above the 38% major metro average for African-Americans. Atlanta’s African-Americans have a median household income of $41,800, also considerably above the major metro average, while their rate of self-employment, 17.1%, is second only to New Orleans.
Clear evidence of the Atlanta area’s appeal can be seen in the growth of the black population, up 50% from 2000 through 2013. This is also well above the of 28% average growth in the African-American population in the nation’s 52 biggest metro areas during the same time.

This shift of African-Americans to Southern metro areas is widespread. Population growth since 2000 above 40% was posted by No. 2 metro area Raleigh, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C. (sixth); Orlando (seventh) as well as the three cities that tie for eighth place: Miami; Richmond, Va.; and San Antonio. The same can be said of Texas’ other big cities: Austin (11th), Houston (12th) and Dallas-Fort Worth (13th).

If there’s a challenger to Atlanta and the renewed Southern ascendency for African-Americans, it’s the greater Washington, D.C., area which ranks third. The median black household income in the metro area is $64,896, more than $20,000 above that of Atlanta and other top-ranked southern cities. Home ownership rates, at 49.2%, are also the highest in the nation.

As in Atlanta, Washington’s black community has strong institutions of culture and higher education. The District is home to Howard University, the nation’s second-ranked historically black university. Washington’s urban core may be becoming less black — down from 60% in 2000 to under 50% in 2013– but this has been more than made up for by the burgeoning population of surrounding suburban areas such as Prince George’s County, which is majority black and relatively prosperous, with  poverty rates well below those of the city. http://www.newgeography.com/content/004006-suburban-urban-core-poverty-2012-special-report. The key plus here appears to be the federal government, which employs many people at high wages in the area.

Full List: The Cities Where African-Americans Are Doing Best Economically

Incomes also have been boosted by the government in No. 4 Baltimore, which enjoys the third highest black median income and the third highest self-employment rate after Atlanta and New Orleans. As in Washington, much of this prosperity is not in the hardscrabble city core, but in surrounding suburban areas such as Baltimore County, where the black population grew from 20% of the total in 2000 to over 26% in 2010.

Where African-Americans Are Struggling

Many of the metro areas at the bottom of our list are the once mighty manufacturing hubs where Southern blacks flocked in the Great Migration: last place Milwaukee, followed by Grand Rapids, Mich.; Cincinnati (50th); Pittsburgh (tied for 48th) Cleveland (47th) and Buffalo (46th). African-Americans in these old industrial towns earn on average $10,000 to $15,000 less than their counterparts in Atlanta. Self-employment rates are half as high as those in our top 10 cities.

Of course, none of this is too surprising, given the long-term economic malaise in the Rust Belt. But some of our most prosperous metro areas are also not working out well for blacks. These include San Francisco-Oakland, which tied with Pittsburgh for 48th, Los Angeles (40th) and Seattle (36th). In these cities, homeownership rates for African-Americans tend to be 10 to 15 percentage points lower, and self-employment close to half of what we see in greater Washington, Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte and the four big Texas cities.

Blacks populations have declined in some of these metro areas, including San Francisco, which has seen a 9.1% drop since 2000, and Los Angeles, where the African-American population has fallen 8%. Chicago (31st), long a major center of black America, has seen a 4% drop since 2000, while the black population of the New York metro area (24th) has grown just 2.4%.

Ironically, many of the metro areas at the top of our list tend to vote Republican. But many local Democratic politicians in the South support generally pro-business economic agendas. African-Americans, who tend to have fewer economic assets than whites, need growth to expand their opportunities; that’s one reason they do so well, relatively, in the South.

But it’s not just growth. Places like Los Angeles and the Bay Area are losing black population because of their high housing prices. Hollywood stars and tech titans may not mind, but it’s tough for most everyone else to buy a house in the big California cities and New York. Housing prices in Atlanta and Houston, relative to incomes, are about half or more less than those in the Bay Area.

Black Female Statistics

Population

According to official estimates from the US Census Bureau the Black female population in the United States was 23.5 Million in 2013. This is 52% of the total Black population compared to Black males who make up 48% of the Black population.

Compared to all females in America Black females are on average younger at 35 years old compared to the age of ‘all females’ at 39 years old. Black female children (under 18 years old) are at the same percentage as ‘all female children’ to their respective populations at 49%. The percent of the population who are females increases much quicker for the Black population as they get older due to a higher mortality rate of Black men. This considering that women of all races and ethnicities have a longer lifespan than men.

Education

In 2013 about 57% of Black women 25 and older attended college although only 31% have completed at least an associate degree compared to 60% of ‘all women’ who attended college of which 39% completed a degree.

Black women have been more successful than Black men in closing the gap when it comes to college degrees. About 22% of Black women have a bachelors degree compared to 30% of ‘all women’. Also the number of Black women who finished high school but did not pursue higher education is about the same as it is for ‘all women’, 27% compared to 28% respectively.
The percent of Black women who have an associate degree (9%) is equal to that of ‘all women’ (9%) in America. Only 15% of Black women over 25 did not complete high school which is only slightly higher than ‘all women’ at 13 percent.

Employment

African American females ages 16 to 64 had a higher participation rate in the labor force (71%) compared to ‘all females’ (69%) (see below table). Labor force participation refers to the percent of women who were either working or looking for work. Women not in the labor force include those who may be full time students, disabled, and others who are not looking or gave up looking for employment for other reasons.
The 36% of African American women who worked full time all year in 2013 had median earnings of $33,780 in 2013 compared to $38,097 for ‘all women’ (above table). Of Black females ages 16 to 64 years old, 25% had no earnings in 2013 which was higher than the 26% with no earnings of ‘all females’ in the same age group. Also a larger percentage of Black females 16 to 64 were unemployed than for ‘all females’ (9.6% compared to 5.8%) and were living below the poverty level (29%) than ‘all females’ (17%).

Compared to ‘all women’ in the United States Black women who worked were less likely to work in occupations that may be considered white collar and were much more likely to hold service jobs. Only 64% of working Black women held white collar jobs compared to 72% of ‘all women’ (see left chart). For the purpose of the above table white collar occupations include but are not limited to jobs in management, business, computers, office, legal, education, etc.

Blue collar occupations which were held by 8% of working Black women include employment in construction, maintenance and repair, installation, production, transportation, etc. Service occupations include healthcare support, protective service, food preparation and serving, etc.

Other Characteristics

Black women are the head of 29% of all Black households which is more than twice the rate for ‘all women’ at 13 percent. These are households defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as having a female head and no spouse present. Only 33% of Black women who gave birth were married which is almost the opposite for ‘all women’ at 64%.

These additional responsibilities may also explain why Black women are slightly over-represented in the workforce compared to all women and even higher than Black men (67%). Even though Black women are over-represented in the workforce they still have a higher unemployment rate than ‘all women’, 10% to 6% respectively. All of these factors help explain the higher poverty rate for Black women (29%) than ‘all women’ at 17 percent.

Relationships

The percentages of Black women who are married and who have never been married are almost the exact opposite of those percentages for ‘all women’ in America (left chart). Although 48% of Black women have NEVER been married 46% of ‘all women’ are CURRENTLY married. Only 26% of Black women are currently married while only 30% of ‘all women’ in America have NEVER been married. Black women are also less likely to be separated from their spouses (5%) compared to all women at 9% but are much more likely to be divorced (13%) compared to 3 percent.
Black women are less likely to be married than Black men. As a matter of fact there are about 364,000 more Black men who are married than Black women even though Black women are 51% of the Black population. While an overwhelming percentage of Black women are married to Black men (94%), about 86% of Black men are married to Black women.

Black Male Statistics

Population

According to official estimates from the US Census Bureau the Black male population in the United States was 21.5 Million in 2013. This is 48% of the total Black population compared to Black females who make up 52% of the Black population.

Compared to all males in America Black males are on average younger at 31 years old compared to the age of ‘all males’ (36 years old). However, when looking at a breakdown of age Black male children under 18 years old are at the same percentage as ‘all male children’ (51%). The percent of the population who are males declines much quicker for Black males as they get older due to a higher mortality rate than males on average (see table on left). This considering that men of all races and ethnicities have a shorter lifespan than women.

Education

In 2013 about 48% of Black men 25 and older attended college although half of them did not complete a degree compared to 58% of ‘all men’ who attended college who just under half have no degree (see chart on right).
The biggest disparity between Black men and ‘all men’ in America is with those who have a bachelors degree. Only 17% of Black men have a bachelors degree compared to 30% of ‘all men’. Second is the number of Black men who finished high school but did not pursue higher education, 35% compared to 28% of ‘all men’.

The percent of Black men who have an associate degree (7%) is equal to that of ‘all men’ (7%) in America (see above table). Only 18% of Black men over 25 did not complete high school. This is still higher than the percent for men of all races and ethnic groups together. 

Employment

African American males ages 16 to 64 had a lower participation rate in the labor force (67%) compared to ‘all males’ (80%) (see below table). Labor force participation refers to the percent of men who were either working or looking for work. Males not in the labor force include those who may be full time students, disabled, and others who are not looking or gave up looking for employment for other reasons.
The 37% of African American males who worked full time all year in 2013 had median earnings of $37,290 in 2013 compared to $48,099 for ‘all men’ (above table). Of Black males ages 16 to 64 years old, 40% had no earnings in 2013 which was higher than the 30% with no earnings of ‘all men’ in the same age group. Also a larger percentage of Black males 16 to 64 were unemployed than for ‘all men’ (11.2% compared to 7.3%) and were living below the poverty level (26%) than ‘all men’ (15%).

Compared to ‘all men’ in the United States Black men who worked were much less likely to work in occupations that may be considered white collar and were much more likely to hold blue collar or service jobs. Only 42% of working Black men held white collar jobs compared to 75% of ‘all men’ (see left chart). For the purpose of the above table white collar occupations include but are not limited to jobs in management, business, computers, office, legal, education, etc.

Blue collar occupations which were held by 36% of working Black men include employment in construction, maintenance and repair, installation, production, transportation, etc. Service occupations include healthcare support, protective service, food preparation and serving, etc.

Other Characteristics

About 6% of working-age (18-64yrs old) Black men are currently in state or federal prison, or in a municipal jail (see chart right). This is three times higher than the 2% of ‘all men’ in the same age group. What’s even more concerning is that approximately 34%* of all working-age Black men who are not incarcerated are ex-offenders compared to 12% of ‘all men’ which means they have at one point in their lives been convicted of a felony. This data coincides with the increased absence of Black men in the labor force because ex-offenders are prevented from obtaining a large percentage of occupations either by law and are often legally discriminated against by private employers.
Fourteen percent of working-age Black men are veterans of U.S. military which is just slightly lower than all male veterans (15%). A larger percentage of working age Black men are considered disabled (16%) compared to ‘all men’ (11%).

Relationships

The percentages of Black men who are married and who have never been married are almost the exact opposite of those percentages for ‘all men’ in America (left chart). Although 51% of Black men have NEVER been married 50% of ‘all men’ are currently married. Only 32% of Black men are currently married while only 36% of ‘all men’ in America have NEVER been married. Black men are also slightly more likely to be separated from their spouses (4%) compared to all men at 3%. In addition, Black men are much less likely to outlive their wives and therefore are less likely to be widowed (3%) compared to 10% of ‘all men’.
 
Black men are more likely to be married than Black women (above right chart). As a matter of fact there are about 364,000 more Black men who are married than Black women even though Black women are 51% of the Black population. Although the vast majority of Black men (86%) are married to Black women, an even larger percent (94%) of Black women are married to Black men. 

Marriage in Black America

It is widely accepted that black women are least likely to marry than any other women in America. But after viewing the true data, we can see that although fewer black women are “now married”, more black women marry at least once than black men. In 2010 48.8% of black men are “never married” compared to 45.2% of black women which is up from 44% in 2008 and 42,7% in 2005. It is also believed that a large percentage of Black men marry White women. This is cited as the cause of low marriage rates among Black women.
This however is only partially true. While Black men marry white women at twice the rate of Black women, only 7% of married Black men had White (non-Hispanic) spouses in 2014. About 14% percent of African American men married non-Black or Hispanic women in 2014. It is Asian women who have the highest rates of intermarriage which is twice that of Black men. Black women were the least likely to marry non-Black or Hispanic men at only 6% in 2014, and only 4/% were married to White men.
In 2012 The U.S Census Bureau released a report that studied the history of marriage in the United States. They discovered some startling statistics when calculating marriage by race. They found that African Americans age 35 and older were more likely to be married than White Americans from 1890 until sometime around the 1960s. Not only did they swap places during the 60s but in 1980 the number of NEVER married African Americans began a staggering climb from about 10% to more than 25% by 2010 while the percentage for White women remained under 10% and just over 10% for White men. The first two charts below are charts included in the report only the headings have been altered by BlackDemographics.com to outline these findings.

The third chart illustrates how closely the marriage graph for Black men aligns with the incarceration numbers which also experienced an abnormal climb beginning in 1980. This does not prove causation however it shows that they are related due to the assumption that men in prison are less likely to marry.