List of U.S. states and territories by African-American population

The following is a list of U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia ranked by the proportion of African Americans of full or partial descent, including those of Hispanic origin, in the population. Considering only those who marked "black" and no other race in combination, as in the first table, the percentage was 12.4% in 2020, down from 12.6% in 2010.[1] Considering those who marked "black" and any other race in combination, as in the second table, the percentage increased from 13.6% to 14.2%.

Proportion of African Americans in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of the 2020 United States Census
Proportion of black Americans in each county of the fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as of the 2020 United States Census

2020 census (single race)

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% Black or African
American alone or in combination[2]
RankState or territoryBlack or African American alone
Population (2020)
76.0%1 Virgin Islands (U.S.)80,908[3]
44.17%2  District of Columbia385,810
37.94%3  Mississippi1,084,481
33.13%4  Louisiana1,564,023
33.03%5 Georgia3,538,146
32.01%6  Maryland2,220,472
29.80%7  Alabama1,696,162
27.09%8  South Carolina1,680,531
23.50%9  North Carolina2,350,217
22.11%10  Delaware218,899
21.60%11  Virginia1,607,581
19.80%12  Tennessee1,492,948
17.46%13  Puerto Rico328,711
17.11%14  Florida3,703,952
17.10%15  Arkansas853,783
16.89%16 New York3,533,873
16.19%17  Illinois2,108,271
15.76%18  Michigan1,576,579
15.19%19  New Jersey1,519,770
14.20%  United States of America47,511,020
12.58%20  Ohio1,258,781
12.21%21  Texas3,964,700
11.40%22  Missouri799,840
11.30%23  Pennsylvania1,490,169
10.88%24  Connecticut388,675
10.80%25  Nevada404,739
10.60%26  Indiana748,513
8.09%27  Kentucky462,417
7.39%28  Oklahoma389,961
7.09%29  Massachusetts594,029
7.08%30  Minnesota598,434
6.40%31  Wisconsin476,256
6.30%32  California2,825,293
5.79%33  Kansas308,809
5.78%34  Rhode Island92,168
5.77%35  Nebraska196,535
5.76%36  Arizona439,150
5.19%37  Colorado334,828
5.14%38  Iowa231,972
5.09%39 Washington407,565
3.9%40  North Dakota26,783
3.76%41  West Virginia165,813
3.70%42  Alaska21,898
2.28%43  New Mexico55,904
2.26%44  Oregon182,655
2.24%45  South Dakota17,842
1.90%46  Maine25,752
1.60%47  Hawaii23,417
1.50%48  New Hampshire20,127
1.40%49  Vermont9,034
1.20%50  Utah40,058
1.0%[4]51  Guam1,540[4]
0.99%52  Idaho15,726
0.91%53  Wyoming5,232
0.50%54  Montana5,484
0.1%[5]55  Northern Mariana Islands55[5]
0.02%[6]56  American Samoa13[6]

African-American proportion of state and territory populations (1790–2020)

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From 1787 to 1868, enslaved African Americans were counted in the U.S. census under the Three-fifths Compromise. The compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention over the counting of slaves in determining a state's total population. This count would determine the number of seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives and, should direct taxation be imposed by Congress (which was never done under Article I, section 2, clause 3 of the Constitution), how much each state would pay in taxes. The compromise counted three-fifths of each state's slave population toward that state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the U.S. House of Representatives. Even though slaves were denied voting rights, this gave Southern states more U.S. representatives and more presidential electoral votes than if slaves had not been counted. Free blacks and indentured servants were not subject to the compromise, and each was counted as one full person for representation.[7]

In the United States Constitution, the Three-fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3. Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) later superseded this clause and explicitly repealed the compromise.

African-American % of Population (1790–1990) Black or African American alone or in combination (2000-2020) by U.S. state and territory[8][9][10][11][12][13]
State/Territory179018001810182018301840185018601870188018901900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020
United States of America19.3%18.9%19.0%18.4%18.1%16.8%15.7%14.1%12.7%13.1%11.9%11.6%10.7%9.9%9.7%9.8%10.0%10.5%11.1%11.7%12.1%12.9%13.6%14.2%
Alabama41.4%29.0%33.2%38.5%43.3%44.7%45.4%47.7%47.5%44.8%45.2%42.5%38.4%35.7%34.7%32.0%30.0%26.2%25.6%25.3%26.0%26.3%26.8%
Alaska0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%3.0%3.0%3.4%4.1%4.3%4.7%4.8%
American Samoa0.02%0.04%0.02%
Arizona0.3%0.3%0.4%1.5%1.5%1.0%2.4%2.5%3.0%3.5%3.3%3.0%2.8%3.0%3.6%5.0%6.2%
Arkansas13.0%11.7%15.5%20.9%22.7%25.6%25.2%26.3%27.4%28.0%28.1%27.0%25.8%24.8%22.3%21.8%18.3%16.3%15.9%16.0%16.1%16.5%
California1.0%1.1%0.8%0.7%0.9%0.7%0.9%1.1%1.4%1.8%4.4%5.6%7.0%7.7%7.4%7.4%7.2%7.1%
Colorado0.1%1.1%1.3%1.5%1.6%1.4%1.2%1.1%1.1%1.5%2.3%3.0%3.5%4.0%4.4%5.0%5.5%
Connecticut2.3%2.5%2.6%2.9%2.7%2.6%2.1%1.9%1.8%1.9%1.6%1.7%1.4%1.5%1.8%1.9%2.7%4.2%6.0%7.0%8.3%10.0%11.3%13.0%
Delaware21.6%22.4%23.8%24.0%24.9%25.0%22.2%19.3%18.2%18.0%16.8%16.6%15.4%13.6%13.7%13.5%13.7%13.6%14.3%16.1%16.9%20.1%22.9%24.7%
District of Columbia30.4%33.1%31.2%30.1%29.1%26.6%19.1%33.0%33.6%32.8%31.1%28.5%25.1%27.1%28.2%35.0%53.9%71.1%70.3%65.8%61.3%52.2%44.2%
Florida47.1%48.7%46.0%44.6%48.8%47.0%42.5%43.7%41.0%34.0%29.4%27.1%21.8%17.8%15.3%13.8%13.6%15.5%17.0%17.2%
Georgia35.9%37.1%42.5%44.4%42.6%41.0%42.4%44.0%46.0%47.0%46.7%46.7%45.1%41.7%36.8%34.7%30.9%28.5%25.9%26.8%27.0%29.2%31.5%33.0%
Guam2.37%1.02%0.96%
Hawaii0.2%0.4%0.1%0.2%0.1%0.5%0.8%1.0%1.8%2.5%2.8%2.9%3.2%
Idaho0.4%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.6%1.0%1.5%
Illinois7.4%6.4%2.5%1.5%0.8%0.6%0.4%1.1%1.5%1.5%1.8%1.9%2.8%4.3%4.9%7.4%10.3%12.8%14.7%14.8%15.6%15.4%15.5%
Indiana4.4%2.6%1.0%1.1%1.0%1.1%0.8%1.5%2.0%2.1%2.3%2.2%2.8%3.5%3.6%4.4%5.8%6.9%7.6%7.8%8.8%10.1%11.2%
Iowa0.4%0.2%0.2%0.5%0.6%0.6%0.6%0.7%0.8%0.7%0.7%0.8%0.9%1.2%1.4%1.7%2.5%3.7%5.4%
Kansas0.6%4.7%4.3%3.5%3.5%3.2%3.3%3.5%3.6%3.8%4.2%4.8%5.3%5.8%6.3%7.1%7.6%
Kentucky17.0%18.6%20.2%22.9%24.7%24.3%22.5%20.4%16.8%16.5%14.4%13.3%11.4%9.8%8.6%7.5%6.9%7.1%7.2%7.1%7.1%7.7%8.7%9.7%
Louisiana55.2%51.8%58.5%55.0%50.7%49.5%50.1%51.5%50.0%47.1%43.1%38.9%36.9%35.9%32.9%31.9%29.8%29.4%30.8%32.9%32.8%33.1%
Maine0.6%0.5%0.4%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%0.1%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%0.7%1.6%2.7%
Maryland34.7%36.7%38.2%36.1%34.9%32.3%28.3%24.9%22.5%22.5%20.7%19.8%17.9%16.9%16.9%16.6%16.5%16.7%17.8%22.7%24.9%28.8%30.9%32.0%
Massachusetts1.4%1.5%1.4%1.3%1.2%1.2%0.9%0.8%1.0%1.0%1.0%1.1%1.1%1.2%1.2%1.3%1.6%2.2%3.1%3.9%5.0%6.3%7.8%9.5%
Michigan3.7%3.0%2.1%0.8%0.3%0.6%0.9%1.0%0.9%0.7%0.7%0.6%1.6%3.5%4.0%6.9%9.2%11.2%12.9%13.9%14.8%15.2%15.3%
Minnesota0.6%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%0.7%0.9%1.3%2.2%4.1%6.2%8.5%
Mississippi41.5%47.0%44.1%48.4%52.3%51.2%55.3%53.7%57.5%57.6%58.5%56.2%52.2%50.2%49.2%45.3%42.0%36.8%35.2%35.6%36.6%37.6%37.9%
Missouri17.6%15.9%18.3%15.6%13.2%10.0%6.9%6.7%5.6%5.2%4.8%5.2%6.2%6.5%7.5%9.0%10.3%10.5%10.7%11.7%12.5%13.0%
Montana0.9%0.9%1.0%0.6%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.5%0.8%1.2%
Nebraska0.3%0.6%0.5%0.8%0.6%0.6%1.0%1.0%1.1%1.5%2.1%2.7%3.1%3.6%4.4%5.4%6.4%
Nevada0.7%0.8%0.8%0.5%0.3%0.6%0.4%0.6%0.6%2.7%4.7%5.7%6.4%6.6%7.5%9.4%12.1%
New Hampshire0.6%0.5%0.5%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.3%0.3%0.4%0.6%1.0%1.7%2.4%
New Jersey7.7%8.0%7.6%7.2%6.4%5.8%4.9%3.8%3.4%3.4%3.3%3.7%3.5%3.7%5.2%5.5%6.6%8.5%10.7%12.6%13.4%14.4%14.8%15.2%
New Mexico0.0%0.1%0.2%0.8%1.2%0.8%0.5%1.6%0.7%0.9%1.2%1.8%1.9%1.8%2.0%2.3%2.8%3.2%
New York7.6%5.3%4.2%2.9%2.3%2.1%1.6%1.3%1.2%1.3%1.2%1.4%1.5%1.9%3.3%4.2%6.2%8.4%11.9%13.7%15.9%17.0%17.2%17.5%
North Carolina26.8%29.4%32.2%34.4%35.9%35.6%36.4%36.4%36.6%38.0%34.7%33.0%31.6%29.8%29.0%27.5%25.8%24.5%22.2%22.4%22.0%22.1%22.6%22.5%
North Dakota1.0%0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.0%0.0%0.1%0.4%0.4%0.6%0.8%1.6%4.4%
Northern Mariana Islands0.06%0.06%0.1%
Ohio0.5%0.8%0.8%1.0%1.1%1.3%1.6%2.4%2.5%2.4%2.3%2.3%3.2%4.7%4.9%6.5%8.1%9.1%10.0%10.6%12.1%13.4%14.4%
Oklahoma8.4%7.0%8.3%7.4%7.2%7.2%6.5%6.6%6.7%6.8%7.4%8.3%8.7%9.7%
Oregon0.5%0.2%0.4%0.3%0.4%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.8%1.0%1.3%1.4%1.6%2.1%2.6%3.2%
Pennsylvania2.4%2.7%2.9%2.9%2.8%2.8%2.3%2.0%1.9%2.0%2.0%2.5%2.5%3.3%4.5%4.7%6.1%7.5%8.6%8.8%9.2%10.5%11.9%12.7%
Puerto Rico10.9%14.8%17.5%
Rhode Island6.3%5.3%4.8%4.3%3.7%3.0%2.5%2.3%2.3%2.3%2.1%2.1%1.8%1.7%1.4%1.5%1.8%2.1%2.7%2.9%3.9%5.5%7.4%9.1%
South Carolina43.7%43.2%48.4%52.8%55.6%56.4%58.9%58.6%58.9%60.7%59.8%58.4%55.2%51.4%45.6%42.9%38.8%34.8%30.5%30.4%29.8%29.9%28.8%26.8%
South Dakota0.0%0.6%0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.5%0.9%1.8%3.0%
Tennessee10.6%13.2%17.5%19.6%21.4%22.7%24.5%25.5%25.6%26.1%24.4%23.8%21.7%19.3%18.3%17.4%16.1%16.5%15.8%15.8%16.0%16.8%17.4%17.3%
Texas27.5%30.3%31.0%24.7%21.8%20.4%17.7%15.9%14.7%14.4%12.7%12.4%12.5%12.0%11.9%12.0%12.6%13.6%
Utah0.4%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.4%0.5%0.6%0.6%0.7%1.1%1.6%2.1%
Vermont0.3%0.4%0.3%0.4%0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%0.5%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%0.7%1.5%2.2%
Virgin Islands (U.S.)76.62%76.19%76.03%
Virginia43.4%44.6%47.1%47.8%47.9%46.9%45.0%43.3%41.9%41.8%38.4%35.6%32.6%29.9%26.8%24.7%22.1%20.6%18.5%18.9%18.8%20.4%20.7%20.9%
Washington0.3%0.9%0.4%0.4%0.5%0.5%0.5%0.4%0.4%1.3%1.7%2.1%2.6%3.1%4.4%4.8%5.8%
West Virginia9.5%9.8%11.5%12.1%11.2%9.6%7.8%5.6%4.1%4.2%4.3%4.5%5.3%5.9%6.6%6.2%5.7%4.8%3.9%3.3%3.1%3.5%4.2%5.0%
Wisconsin1.2%1.8%0.6%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%0.4%0.8%1.9%2.9%3.9%5.0%6.1%7.1%7.7%
Wyoming2.0%1.4%1.5%1.0%1.5%0.7%0.6%0.4%0.9%0.7%0.8%0.7%0.8%1.0%1.3%1.7%

Free blacks as a percentage out of the total black population by U.S. region and U.S. state between 1790 and 1860

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In 1865, all enslaved blacks (African Americans) in the United States were emancipated as a result of the Thirteenth Amendment. However, some U.S. states had previously emancipated some or all of their black population. The table below shows the percentage of free blacks as a percentage of the total black population in various U.S. regions and U.S. states between 1790 and 1860 (the blank areas on the chart below mean that there is no data for those specific regions or states in those specific years).[citation needed]

Free blacks as a percentage of the total black (African-American) population by U.S. region and U.S. state between 1790 and 1860[14]
State/territory17901800181018201830184018501860
 United States7.9%10.8%13.5%13.2%13.7%13.4%11.9%11.0%
Northeast40.1%56.2%73.5%83.7%97.8%99.5%99.8%100.0%
Midwest78.7%52.4%38.0%37.7%34.4%35.5%37.6%
South4.7%6.7%8.5%8.2%8.4%8.1%7.0%6.3%
West97.9%99.4%
 Alabama4.4%2.2%1.3%1.3%0.8%0.7%0.6%
 Alaska
 Arizona100.0%
 Arkansas1.4%3.5%3.0%2.3%1.3%0.1%
 California100.0%100.0%
 Colorado100.0%
 Connecticut50.4%84.9%95.4%98.8%99.7%99.8%100.0%100.0%
 Delaware30.5%57.3%75.9%74.2%82.8%86.7%88.8%91.7%
 District of Columbia16.2%30.7%37.9%50.5%66.2%73.2%77.8%
 Florida5.2%3.1%2.3%1.5%
 Georgia1.3%1.7%1.7%1.2%1.1%1.0%0.8%0.8%
 Hawaii
 Idaho
 Illinois41.5%78.5%33.3%68.7%91.6%100.0%100.0%
 Indiana75.7%62.4%86.6%99.9%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 Iowa91.5%100.0%100.0%
 Kansas99.7%
 Kentucky0.9%1.8%2.1%2.1%2.9%3.9%4.5%4.5%
 Louisiana18.0%13.2%13.2%13.1%6.7%5.3%
 Maine100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%99.8%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 Maryland7.2%15.6%23.3%27.0%33.9%40.9%45.3%49.1%
 Massachusetts100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 Michigan100.0%83.3%100.0%99.6%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 Minnesota100.0%100.0%
 Mississippi5.0%1.2%1.4%0.8%0.7%0.3%0.2%
 Missouri17.4%3.3%2.2%2.6%2.9%3.0%
 Montana
 Nebraska81.7%
 Nevada100.0%
 New Hampshire79.9%100.0%100.0%100.0%99.5%99.8%100.0%100.0%
 New Jersey19.5%26.2%42.0%62.2%89.0%96.9%99.0%99.9%
 New Mexico100.0%100.0%
 New York17.9%33.3%62.8%74.4%99.8%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 North Carolina4.7%5.0%5.7%6.7%7.4%8.5%8.7%8.4%
 North Dakota
 Ohio100.0%100.0%100.0%99.9%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 Oklahoma
 Oregon100.0%100.0%
 Pennsylvania63.6%89.5%96.6%99.3%98.9%99.9%100.0%100.0%
 Rhode Island78.2%89.7%97.1%98.7%99.5%99.8%100.0%100.0%
 South Carolina1.7%2.1%2.3%2.6%2.4%2.5%2.3%2.4%
 South DakotaN/A[a]
 Tennessee9.6%2.2%2.9%3.3%3.1%2.9%2.6%2.6%
 Texas0.7%0.2%
 Utah48.0%50.8%
 Vermont100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%
 Virginia4.1%5.6%7.3%8.2%9.3%10.1%10.2%10.5%
 Washington100.0%100.0%
 West Virginia11.6%6.8%10.5%8.5%10.9%14.1%13.1%13.1%
 Wisconsin100.0%51.6%94.4%100.0%100.0%
 Wyoming

a^ There were no blacks at all—either free or enslaved—in South Dakota in 1860.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census". Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Explore Census Data". Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  3. ^ https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_VISF_P3&prodType=table Archived 2020-02-12 at archive.today American FactFinder. Race; Total Population — 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands Summary File. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  4. ^ a b https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_GUSF_P3&prodType=table Archived 2020-02-14 at archive.today American FactFinder. Ethnic Origin or Race. Total Population - Guam 2010 Summary File. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  5. ^ a b https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_MPSF_P3&prodType=table Archived 2020-02-14 at archive.today American FactFinder. Ethnic Origin or Race. Total population - 2010 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Summary File. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_ASSF_P3&prodType=table Archived 2020-02-14 at archive.today American FactFinder. Ethnic Origin or Race. Total population — 2010 American Samoa Summary File. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  7. ^ The Founders and Slavery: Little Ventured, Little Gained, p. 427, "of representation."
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