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.
States with the Highest Black Population
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.
Texas has the highest black population in the United States of 3,646,880. This is about 13.08% of Texas's total population. Following Texas is Florida with 3,592,350 (17.44%), Georgia with 3,378,260 (32.81%), and New York with 3,368,300 (17.17%).
The state with the highest relative population of black Americans in the United States is Mississippi with a total of 1,147,920 black Americans, comprising about 38.41% of the state's total population. Lousiana has the second-highest relative population of black Americans with 1,553,060, making up 33.30% of the state's population.