Most African American cities in Arizona research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Arizona’s most recent Census data to determine the cities with the largest Black population, based on the percentage of Black residents.
The city with the largest African American population in Arizona is Maricopa (12.7% Black); the least is Cottonwood (0.2%). Statewide, Arizona is 4.4% Black — the 33rd blackest state in the country.
Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, about 12% of the total population. In Arizona, the Black population is 322,321, at 4.4% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Arizona with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Maricopa is a city in the Gila River Valley in the State of Arizona. With an estimated 48,602 residents as of 2015, Maricopa is the second most populous incorporated city in Pinal County and eighteenth most populous in Arizona. Maricopa forms part of the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Florence is a town, 61 miles southeast of Phoenix, in Pinal County of Arizona, United States. Florence, which is the county seat of Pinal County, is one of the oldest towns in that county and is regarded as a National Historic District with over 25 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The population of Florence was 30,770 at the 2015 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With 1,615,017 people, Phoenix is the fifth most populous city nationwide, the most populous state capital in the United States, and the only state capital with a population of more than one million residents.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#6 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and is in the Phoenix metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275. Goodyear was the third fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size between 1990 and 2000. The July 1, 2015, MAG population estimate was 79,003.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Tempe, also known as Hayden’s Ferry during the territorial times of Arizona, is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale on the north, Chandler on the south, and Mesa on the east. Tempe is also the location of the main campus of Arizona State University.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#9 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city’s population is 11,825.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most African American in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Tolleson is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 6,545.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Arizona’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Arizona With The Largest Black Population For 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Arizona.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 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 Arizona. That left us with 54 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 12.7% to 0.2%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Maricopa took the distinction of being the most Black, while Cottonwood was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Arizona with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Arizona
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maricopa | 67,163 | 8,518 | 12.7% |
| 2 | Avondale | 92,477 | 9,739 | 10.5% |
| 3 | Eloy | 17,433 | 1,541 | 8.8% |
| 4 | Florence | 25,570 | 2,096 | 8.2% |
| 5 | Phoenix | 1,642,323 | 121,686 | 7.4% |
| 6 | Goodyear | 107,645 | 7,931 | 7.4% |
| 7 | El Mirage | 36,088 | 2,635 | 7.3% |
| 8 | Tempe | 188,065 | 12,910 | 6.9% |
| 9 | Coolidge | 16,636 | 1,072 | 6.4% |
| 10 | Tolleson | 7,668 | 487 | 6.4% |
| 11 | Sierra Vista | 45,155 | 2,788 | 6.2% |
| 12 | Glendale | 252,833 | 15,275 | 6.0% |
| 13 | Casa Grande | 60,905 | 3,220 | 5.3% |
| 14 | Chandler | 280,136 | 14,254 | 5.1% |
| 15 | Tucson | 547,073 | 26,020 | 4.8% |
| 16 | Snowflake | 6,444 | 291 | 4.5% |
| 17 | Surprise | 154,948 | 6,708 | 4.3% |
| 18 | Mesa | 511,764 | 18,986 | 3.7% |
| 19 | Winslow | 8,773 | 304 | 3.5% |
| 20 | Gilbert | 280,262 | 9,079 | 3.2% |
| 21 | Sahuarita | 35,862 | 1,156 | 3.2% |
| 22 | Peoria | 196,906 | 6,346 | 3.2% |
| 23 | Douglas | 15,981 | 510 | 3.2% |
| 24 | Queen Creek | 71,867 | 2,122 | 3.0% |
| 25 | Marana | 56,938 | 1,652 | 2.9% |
| 26 | Guadalupe | 5,272 | 136 | 2.6% |
| 27 | Fountain Hills | 23,789 | 558 | 2.3% |
| 28 | Scottsdale | 243,821 | 5,141 | 2.1% |
| 29 | Kingman | 34,375 | 689 | 2.0% |
| 30 | Yuma | 100,139 | 1,931 | 1.9% |
| 31 | Youn | 7,015 | 135 | 1.9% |
| 32 | San Luis | 37,337 | 718 | 1.9% |
| 33 | Litchfield Park | 6,916 | 126 | 1.8% |
| 34 | Flagstaff | 76,445 | 1,364 | 1.8% |
| 35 | Sedona | 9,777 | 165 | 1.7% |
| 36 | Bullhead City | 42,496 | 663 | 1.6% |
| 37 | Apache Junction | 41,058 | 583 | 1.4% |
| 38 | Safford | 10,239 | 139 | 1.4% |
| 39 | Oro Valley | 48,162 | 549 | 1.1% |
| 40 | Wickenburg | 8,059 | 80 | 1.0% |
| 41 | Globe | 7,195 | 61 | 0.8% |
| 42 | Camp Verde | 12,521 | 96 | 0.8% |
| 43 | Page | 7,345 | 55 | 0.7% |
| 44 | Prescott Valley | 49,179 | 283 | 0.6% |
| 45 | Lake Havasu City | 58,359 | 293 | 0.5% |
| 46 | Show Low | 12,102 | 60 | 0.5% |
| 47 | Prescott | 47,400 | 228 | 0.5% |
| 48 | Paradise Valley | 12,611 | 54 | 0.4% |
| 49 | Payson | 16,622 | 60 | 0.4% |
| 50 | Chino Valley | 13,602 | 42 | 0.3% |
| 51 | Somerton | 14,574 | 44 | 0.3% |
| 52 | Benson | 5,417 | 16 | 0.3% |
| 53 | Nogales | 19,841 | 41 | 0.2% |
| 54 | Cottonwood | 12,580 | 22 | 0.2% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 54 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Arizona
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Arizona according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Arizona are Maricopa, Avondale, Eloy, Florence, Phoenix, Goodyear, El Mirage, Tempe, Coolidge, and Tolleson. Not sold on Arizona? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
