Facts About the U.S. Black Population
BY MOHAMAD MOSLIMANI, CHRISTINE TAMIR, ABBY BUDIMAN, LUIS NOE-BUSTAMANTE AND LAUREN MORA, PEW Research
The Black population of the United States is growing. In 2021, there were an estimated 47.2 million people who self-identified as Black, making up 14.2% of the country’s population. This marks a 30% increase since 2000, when there were 36.3 million Black people living in the U.S.
Black Americans are diverse. This group consists of people with varied racial and ethnic identities and experiences. The nation’s Black population includes those who say their race is Black, either alone or in combination with other racial backgrounds. It also includes Hispanics or Latinos who say their race is Black.
This fact sheet is a profile of the demographic, geographic and economic characteristics of the U.S. Black population in 2021. To present detailed data about this group, charts and analysis about the Black population are analyzed through the lens of four different demographic groups:
The total U.S. Black population
Single-race, non-Hispanic Black people
Multiracial, non-Hispanic Black people
Black Hispanic people
Population growth
An estimated 47.2 million people in the U.S. identified as Black in 2021. The Black population has grown by more than 10 million since 2000, when 36.2 million of the U.S. population identified as Black, marking a 30% increase over two decades.
In 2021, there were 4.8 million foreign-born Black Americans, about 10% of the U.S. Black population. This is an increase from 2000, when 2.4 million people, or 7%, among the Black population were foreign born.
Just under half of the U.S. Black population (45%) was younger than 30 in 2021. A similar share (43%) was between 30 and 64 years old.
Regionally, the highest concentration of Black people in the U.S. in 2021 is in the South; more than half (56%) live there. Following the South, 17% live in each the Midwest and the Northeast and 10% live in the West.
When it comes to states of residence, Texas is home to the largest Black population, at about 4.0 million. Florida comes in a close second with 3.8 million, and Georgia comes in third, with 3.6 million.
A map showing the majority of the U.S. Black population lives in the South
Among metropolitan areas, the New York City metro area – which includes parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania – has the greatest number of Black residents (3.9 million). In a distant second is the Atlanta metro area, with 2.2 million, and then the Washington, D.C., metro area, with 1.8 million Black residents.
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