The population of Black Americans is diverse, with different ethnic and racial identities reflecting intermarriage and international migration. In 2019, 46.8 million people in the U.S. self-identified as Black or African American, either solely or as part of a multiracial or multiethnic background. Among those who self-identify as Black or African American, 40.7 million or 87% self-identified as Black and non-Hispanic. Around 3.7 million or 8% self-identified as Black, another race (most often White), and non-Hispanic. Another 2.4 million or 5% self-identified as both Black and Hispanic, or Black Hispanic.
Top States
Texas is home to the largest Black American population in the U.S., with more than 3.9 million Black Americans in 2019. Florida has the second-largest population, with 3.8 million. Georgia is home to 3.6 million Black Americans, followed by New York (3.4 million) and California (2.8 million). Together, these five states hold 37% of the national Black American population.
Among non-Hispanic, single-race Black Americans, Texas has the largest population, followed by Georgia, Florida, New York, and North Carolina. Among non-Hispanic multiracial Black Americans, the state with the largest population is California, followed by Texas, Florida, Ohio, and New York. Among Black Hispanics, New York has the largest population, followed by Florida, California, Texas, and New Jersey.
Texas, New York, and Florida make the top five states for all subgroups.
Top Metropolitan Areas
The New York City metropolitan area is the top urban center for Black Americans, with roughly 3.8 million in 2019, followed by the Atlanta metro area, with 2.2 million Black Americans, and the Washington, D.C. area, with 1.7 million.
Besides New York City, the top urban centers for those identifying as multiracial Black are the Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago metropolitan areas. For Black Hispanics, Miami is second, followed by the Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia metro areas.
Age
As of 2019, the median age for the overall Black American population is 32, and the median age of single-race, non-Hispanic Black Americans is 35. Among Black Hispanics, it is 22. The multiracial Black Americans are the youngest group, with a median age of 16.
A quarter (25%) of the Black American population are Generation Z members born between 1997 and 2012 and ages 7 to 22 in 2019. Another 23% are Millennials. The majority (63%) of multiracial Black Americans were age 22 or younger in 2019, reflecting the youth of this demographic subgroup. Roughly half (51%) of Black Hispanics were 22 or younger.
Education
The number of Black American adults with a college degree or more education has more than doubled since 2000. That year, roughly 3 million Black American adults ages 25 and older, or 15%, had earned at least a bachelor’s degree. That number grew to 6.7 million (23%) in 2019.
While roughly 1 million Black American adults in 2000 (5% of the population over 25) had a master’s degree or higher, that number rose to almost 2.6 million, or 9% in 2019.
Source: pewresearch.org
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