According to the 2018 United States Census estimates, the United States population is approximately 14.6% black or African American, which equals 47.8 million people. The black-only population is 13.4%. Since 1980, the black immigrant population has increased fivefold.

Between 1500 and 1820, 12.5 million African men, women, and children were taken from Africa and sold to various slave trades around the world. About 410,000 were brought to the United States, mostly landing in ports in Charleston, Baltimore and other parts of Maryland, Virginia, and New Orleans. The first U.S. Census in 1790 accounted for 757,208 African Americas, 92% of which were slaves. The 1860 Census counted 4,441,830 African Americas, 89% of which were slaves. This was the last Census during slavery.By 1900 the black population was 8 million, and then rose rapidly over the next century or so to hit 42 million in 2010.

Ten States with the Highest Black Population (By %)

The District of Columbia has the highest share of blacks comprising 46.06% of the population. There are a total of 315,281 blacks or African Americans in D.C.

Mississippi has the second-highest percentage of blacks at 37.53% of the total population. Mississippi’s total black population is 1,121,752.

Louisiana has the third-highest percentage of blacks at 32.00%, a total of 1,492,230.

With 3,195,363 blacks, Georgia has the fourth-highest percentage of blacks at 31.03% and the second-highest total number of blacks of any state (Texas has the highest of 3,269,253).

Maryland’s black population is 1,759,438, comprising 29.31% of the state’s total population. This makes Maryland have the fifth-highest black population by percentage and eighth-highest by numbers.

South Carolina has the sixth-highest black population in the U.S. with 1,328,352 equaling 26.80% of the population.

The state with the seventh-highest black population by percentage is Alabama with the black population comprising 26.43% of the total population. The black population is 1,285,737 people.

Delaware has the eighth-highest black population by percentage of 21.56%. Delaware has a total of 204,665 blacks.

With a black population of 2,146,254, North Carolina has the ninth-largest black population by percentage of the total population and the sixth-largest by number. North Carolina’s black population comprises 21.13% of the state’s total population.

Finishing the top ten list of the state with the largest black populations by percentage is Virginia, where the population is 18.81% black. Virginia has a total black population of 1,582,421, the ninth-highest black population by numbers.

Roughly 55% of the black population lives in the south and southeast regions of the United States. A majority of the top ten states are located in this region. The rest of the black population is split into 18% in the Midwest, 17% in the Northeast, and 10% in the West.