The 10 New York Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2024


The most African American cities in New York are Mount Vernon and Hempstead for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About RoadSnacks
Last Updated: January 12, 2024

Most African American cities in New York research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze New York’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in New York based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in New York is Mount Vernon based on the most recent Census data.

  • Mount Vernon is 59.49% Black.

  • The least African American city in New York is New Square.

  • New Square is 0.0% Black.

  • New York is 13.8% Black.

  • New York is the 13th blackest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest Black Population In New York Map

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 New York is 2,767,223 – at 13.8% of the total population of New York.

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 New York? Which cities and towns in New York have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in New York with the largest African American population in 2024:

What’s the blackest city in New York? The city with the largest Black population in New York for 2024 is Mount Vernon. See if Mount Vernon 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 New York or the most diverse places in New York.

The 10 Blackest Cities In New York For 2024

1. Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 72,817
% African American: 59.49%
# Of African American Residents: 43,321
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.25%
More on Mount Vernon: Data | Cost Of Living

2. Hempstead

Hempstead, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 58,557
% African American: 45.19%
# Of African American Residents: 26,463
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.67%
More on Hempstead: Data | Cost Of Living

3. Rochester

Rochester, NY

Source: Flickr User | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 210,992
% African American: 35.73%
# Of African American Residents: 75,380
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.54%
More on Rochester: Data | Cost Of Living

4. Poughkeepsie

Poughkeepsie, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 31,717
% African American: 32.69%
# Of African American Residents: 10,367
Percent Change Since 2010: -11.63%
More on Poughkeepsie: Data | Cost Of Living

5. Buffalo

Buffalo, NY

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 276,688
% African American: 32.27%
# Of African American Residents: 89,295
Percent Change Since 2010: -11.01%
More on Buffalo: Data | Cost Of Living

6. Spring Valley

Spring Valley, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 32,963
% African American: 31.59%
# Of African American Residents: 10,414
Percent Change Since 2010: -6.13%
More on Spring Valley: Data | Cost Of Living

7. Freeport

Freeport, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Ira Goldstein | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 44,210
% African American: 30.17%
# Of African American Residents: 13,338
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.78%
More on Freeport: Data | Cost Of Living

8. Syracuse

Syracuse, NY

Source: Wikipedia User John Marino from Pittsburgh | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 146,134
% African American: 27.21%
# Of African American Residents: 39,767
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.1%
More on Syracuse: Data | Cost Of Living

9. Albany

Albany, NY

Source: Wikipedia User UpstateNYer | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 99,692
% African American: 26.28%
# Of African American Residents: 26,199
Percent Change Since 2010: -6.84%
More on Albany: Data | Cost Of Living

10. Valley Stream

Valley Stream, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 40,288
% African American: 25.44%
# Of African American Residents: 10,249
Percent Change Since 2010: 68.96%
More on Valley Stream: Data | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In New York 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 New York.

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*
* Not Hispanic or latino

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 New York. That left us with 164 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 59.5% 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. Mount Vernon took the distinction of being the most Black, while New Square was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in New York with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in New York 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 New York

If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across New York according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

The blackest cities in New York are Mount Vernon, Hempstead, Rochester, Poughkeepsie, Buffalo, Spring Valley, Freeport, Syracuse, Albany, and Valley Stream.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in New York:

  1. New Square
  2. Mechanicville
  3. Lancaster

For more New York reading, check out:

African American Population By City In New York

Rank City Population African American Population % African American
1 Mount Vernon 72,817 43,321 59.49%
2 Hempstead 58,557 26,463 45.19%
3 Rochester 210,992 75,380 35.73%
4 Poughkeepsie 31,717 10,367 32.69%
5 Buffalo 276,688 89,295 32.27%
6 Spring Valley 32,963 10,414 31.59%
7 Freeport 44,210 13,338 30.17%
8 Syracuse 146,134 39,767 27.21%
9 Albany 99,692 26,199 26.28%
10 Valley Stream 40,288 10,249 25.44%
11 Newburgh 28,751 7,168 24.93%
12 Nyack 7,057 1,759 24.93%
13 Middletown 30,169 6,724 22.29%
14 Monticello 7,224 1,585 21.94%
15 New York 8,622,467 1,810,769 21.0%
16 Haverstraw 12,286 2,403 19.56%
17 Peekskill 25,401 4,807 18.92%
18 Schenectady 68,476 12,852 18.77%
19 New Rochelle 80,828 14,946 18.49%
20 Westbury 15,788 2,798 17.72%
21 Niagara Falls 48,502 8,448 17.42%
22 Walden 6,861 1,137 16.57%
23 Yonkers 209,780 33,047 15.75%
24 Troy 51,268 8,055 15.71%
25 West Haverstraw 10,649 1,641 15.41%
26 Lackawanna 19,762 3,001 15.19%
27 Utica 64,728 9,678 14.95%
28 Suffern 11,376 1,632 14.35%
29 Hudson 5,923 848 14.32%
30 Kingston 24,018 3,236 13.47%
31 Binghamton 47,617 6,132 12.88%
32 Beacon 13,876 1,745 12.58%
33 White Plains 59,421 7,187 12.1%
34 Lockport 20,808 2,513 12.08%
35 Ossining 27,076 3,219 11.89%
36 Watervliet 10,325 1,209 11.71%
37 Chestnut Ridge 10,339 1,184 11.45%
38 Wappingers Falls 5,775 618 10.7%
39 Elmira 26,494 2,826 10.67%
40 Amityville 9,507 986 10.37%
41 Albion 5,428 548 10.1%
42 Washingtonville 5,733 553 9.65%
43 Port Jervis 8,725 817 9.36%
44 Endicott 13,540 1,203 8.88%
45 New Hempstead 5,449 468 8.59%
46 Brockport 7,192 606 8.43%
47 Monroe 9,420 780 8.28%
48 Watertown 24,859 1,797 7.23%
49 Auburn 26,674 1,909 7.16%
50 Cohoes 17,960 1,274 7.09%
51 Pelham 7,261 510 7.02%
52 Ogdensburg 9,902 683 6.9%
53 Solvay 6,607 440 6.66%
54 Port Chester 31,288 2,072 6.62%
55 Johnson City 15,229 1,007 6.61%
56 Kenmore 15,155 995 6.57%
57 Rensselaer 9,252 600 6.49%
58 Canton 7,245 462 6.38%
59 East Rockaway 10,070 629 6.25%
60 Pelham Manor 5,682 353 6.21%
61 Geneva 12,670 765 6.04%
62 Webster 5,725 342 5.97%
63 Dunkirk 12,668 750 5.92%
64 New Paltz 7,732 443 5.73%
65 Oneonta 14,097 806 5.72%
66 Woodbury 11,371 644 5.66%
67 Amsterdam 18,244 988 5.42%
68 Malverne 8,526 460 5.4%
69 Tuckahoe 6,995 376 5.38%
70 Lynbrook 20,299 1,070 5.27%
71 Potsdam 8,570 447 5.22%
72 Fredonia 9,710 506 5.21%
73 Ithaca 31,359 1,536 4.9%
74 Long Beach 34,734 1,697 4.89%
75 Mount Kisco 10,835 522 4.82%
76 Glen Cove 28,132 1,337 4.75%
77 Batavia 15,510 735 4.74%
78 Harrison 28,721 1,286 4.48%
79 Rome 32,031 1,419 4.43%
80 Mamaroneck 19,930 803 4.03%
81 Newark 9,076 363 4.0%
82 Cortland 17,574 700 3.98%
83 Airmont 10,020 398 3.97%
84 Plattsburgh 19,907 785 3.94%
85 Depew 15,141 592 3.91%
86 Farmingdale 8,428 317 3.76%
87 Rockville Centre 25,784 962 3.73%
88 Patchogue 12,343 456 3.69%
89 Hilton 5,998 217 3.62%
90 Geneseo 7,713 274 3.55%
91 Bath 5,606 196 3.5%
92 Tarr 11,776 391 3.32%
93 Lindenhurst 27,139 893 3.29%
94 Horseheads 6,524 210 3.22%
95 Saratoga Springs 28,505 880 3.09%
96 Sleepy Hollow 10,396 319 3.07%
97 Saranac Lake 5,079 150 2.95%
98 East Rochester 6,321 185 2.93%
99 Jamestown 28,679 838 2.92%
100 Olean 13,890 395 2.84%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Black Population, Rankings

2 thoughts on “The 10 New York Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2024”

  1. This is wrong. The city with the largest Black population in NY and also the whole nation is NYC. NYC has about 2 million Black people. If fact there are 200,000 Black business in NYC. Just the number of Black businesses in NYC is almost 4 times Black residents in Mt. Vernon.

    NYC has more Blacks than any other city in the nation. White publications should stick to what they know best and leave the demographics to us.

    Reply

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