Most African American cities in Idaho research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Idaho’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Idaho based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the largest African American population in Idaho is Mountain Home based on the most recent Census data.
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Mountain Home is 2.12% Black.
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The least African American city in Idaho is Emmett.
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Emmett is 0.0% Black.
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Idaho is 0.6% Black.
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Idaho is the 49th blackest state in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Black community is one of the fastest-growing communities in America this decade.
Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in Idaho is 11,919 – at 0.6% of the total population of Idaho.
The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census’s race and ethnicity definition. Most scholars and historians agree that increasing diversity in America is a good thing.
We agree.
But how has the increase in the black population impacted Idaho? Which cities and towns in Idaho have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?
We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Idaho with the largest African American population in 2024:
Most African American Places In Idaho
What’s the blackest city in Idaho? The city with the largest Black population in Idaho for 2024 is Mountain Home. See if Mountain Home ranked as one of the most african american places in America.
And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in Idaho or the most diverse places in Idaho.
The 10 Blackest Cities In Idaho For 2024
1. Mountain Home
/10
Population: 16,026
% African American: 2.12%
# Of African American Residents: 339
Percent Change Since 2010: -30.96%
More on Mountain Home: Data | Cost Of Living
2. Moscow
/10
Population: 25,616
% African American: 1.82%
# Of African American Residents: 465
Percent Change Since 2010: 50.97%
More on Moscow: Data | Cost Of Living
3. Meridian
/10
Population: 119,872
% African American: 1.44%
# Of African American Residents: 1,732
Percent Change Since 2010: 138.9%
More on Meridian: Data | Cost Of Living
4. Boise City
/10
Population: 234,192
% African American: 1.43%
# Of African American Residents: 3,358
Percent Change Since 2010: 28.22%
More on Boise City: Data
5. Pocatello
/10
Population: 56,582
% African American: 1.19%
# Of African American Residents: 674
Percent Change Since 2010: 61.63%
More on Pocatello: Data | Cost Of Living
6. Rexburg
/10
Population: 38,803
% African American: 1.03%
# Of African American Residents: 401
Percent Change Since 2010: 267.89%
More on Rexburg: Data | Cost Of Living
7. Nampa
/10
Population: 102,598
% African American: 1.03%
# Of African American Residents: 1,053
Percent Change Since 2010: 105.26%
More on Nampa: Data | Cost Of Living
8. Star
/10
Population: 11,971
% African American: 0.88%
# Of African American Residents: 105
Percent Change Since 2010: inf%
More on Star: Data | Cost Of Living
9. Twin Falls
/10
Population: 52,315
% African American: 0.83%
# Of African American Residents: 436
Percent Change Since 2010: 52.98%
More on Twin Falls: Data | Cost Of Living
10. Garden City
/10
Population: 12,301
% African American: 0.56%
# Of African American Residents: 69
Percent Change Since 2010: 475.0%
More on Garden City: Data | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Idaho With The Largest Black Population For 2024
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Idaho.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2018-2022 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people in Idaho. That left us with 32 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 2.1% to 0.0%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Mountain Home took the distinction of being the most Black, while Emmett was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Idaho with the largest African American population.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Idaho ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
Summary: Black Populations Across Idaho
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Idaho according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Idaho are Mountain Home, Moscow, Meridian, Boise City, Pocatello, Rexburg, Nampa, Star, Twin Falls, and Garden City.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Idaho:
- Emmett
- Hailey
- Rupert
For more Idaho reading, check out:
African American Population By City In Idaho
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Home | 16,026 | 339 | 2.12% |
| 2 | Moscow | 25,616 | 465 | 1.82% |
| 3 | Meridian | 119,872 | 1,732 | 1.44% |
| 4 | Boise City | 234,192 | 3,358 | 1.43% |
| 5 | Pocatello | 56,582 | 674 | 1.19% |
| 6 | Rexburg | 38,803 | 401 | 1.03% |
| 7 | Nampa | 102,598 | 1,053 | 1.03% |
| 8 | Star | 11,971 | 105 | 0.88% |
| 9 | Twin Falls | 52,315 | 436 | 0.83% |
| 10 | Garden City | 12,301 | 69 | 0.56% |
| 11 | Blackfoot | 12,349 | 54 | 0.44% |
| 12 | Middleton | 9,614 | 39 | 0.41% |
| 13 | Caldwell | 61,212 | 235 | 0.38% |
| 14 | Coeur D’alene | 54,599 | 207 | 0.38% |
| 15 | Idaho Falls | 65,685 | 229 | 0.35% |
| 16 | Chubbuck | 15,638 | 50 | 0.32% |
| 17 | Hayden | 15,703 | 43 | 0.27% |
| 18 | Sandpoint | 8,899 | 23 | 0.26% |
| 19 | Payette | 8,182 | 20 | 0.24% |
| 20 | Post Falls | 40,002 | 80 | 0.2% |
| 21 | Eagle | 30,635 | 57 | 0.19% |
| 22 | Kuna | 24,845 | 39 | 0.16% |
| 23 | Ammon | 17,921 | 28 | 0.16% |
| 24 | Weiser | 5,678 | 5 | 0.09% |
| 25 | Lewiston | 34,270 | 27 | 0.08% |
| 26 | Burley | 11,506 | 7 | 0.06% |
| 27 | Preston | 5,668 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 28 | Rathdrum | 9,556 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 29 | Jerome | 12,482 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 30 | Rupert | 6,066 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 31 | Hailey | 9,238 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 32 | Emmett | 7,694 | 0 | 0.0% |
Great article Chris, thanks!