Most African American cities in Connecticut research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Connecticut’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 Connecticut is Hartford (33.8% Black); the least is Milford (3.0%). Statewide, Connecticut is 9.8% Black — the 21st 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 Connecticut, the Black population is 356,149, at 9.8% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Connecticut with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
Hartford County, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford’s population was 124,775, making it Connecticut’s third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven. Census Bureau estimates since then have indicated Hartford’s fall to fourth place statewide, as a result of sustained population growth in the coastal city of Stamford.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
New Haven, in the U.S. state of Connecticut, is the principal municipality in Greater New Haven, which had a total population of 862,477 in 2010. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, and is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Connecticut, with a population of 129,779 people as of the 2010 United States Census. According to a census of 1 July 2012, by the Census Bureau, the city had a population of 130,741.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City. Waterbury is in New Haven County, Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, Waterbury had a population of 110,366, making it the 10th largest city in the New York Metropolitan Area, 9th largest city in New England and the 5th largest city in Connecticut.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 55,564.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Bridgeport is a seaport city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the largest city in the state and is located in Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound. Bridgeport had a population of 144,229 during the 2010 Census, making it also the 5th-most populous in New England. It is bordered by the towns of Trumbull to the north, Fairfield to the west, and Stratford to the east. The Greater Bridgeport area is the 48th-largest urban area in the United States. Located 60 miles from Manhattan and 40 miles from the Bronx, Bridgeport is also part of the New York metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643. As of July 1, 2014, according to the Census Bureau, the population of Stamford had risen to 128,278, making it the third-largest city in the state and the seventh-largest city in New England. Approximately 30 miles from Manhattan, Stamford is in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Metro area which is a part of the Greater New York metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Norwalk, is a U.S city located in southwestern Connecticut, in southern Fairfield County, on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. Norwalk is included statistically within both the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area as well as the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
Middlesex County, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. Middletown was included within Hartford County upon its creation on May 10, 1666. In 1784, the central settlement was incorporated as a city distinct from the town. Both were included within newly formed Middlesex County in May 1785. In 1923, the City of Middletown was consolidated with the Town, making the city limits of the city quite extensive.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby, and about 12 miles northwest of New Haven. The population was 19,249 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city is served by the Metro-North Railroad. Ansonia Station is a stop on the railroad passenger commuter service’s Waterbury line, connecting to New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Ansonia also is served by the Connecticut Transit bus carrier. Connecticut Route 8 serves Ansonia.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most African American in Connecticut
Located in
New London County, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States. It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Southeastern Connecticut.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Connecticut’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Connecticut’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Connecticut 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 Connecticut.
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 9,000 people in Connecticut. That left us with 21 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 33.8% to 3.0%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Hartford took the distinction of being the most Black, while Milford was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Connecticut with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Connecticut
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford | 121,127 | 40,955 | 33.8% |
| 2 | New Haven | 134,349 | 37,144 | 27.6% |
| 3 | Waterbury | 114,869 | 26,464 | 23.0% |
| 4 | West Haven | 55,351 | 10,885 | 19.7% |
| 5 | Bridgeport | 149,153 | 29,330 | 19.7% |
| 6 | Stamford | 137,144 | 24,257 | 17.7% |
| 7 | Norwalk | 92,187 | 15,650 | 17.0% |
| 8 | Middletown | 47,958 | 6,378 | 13.3% |
| 9 | Ansonia | 19,033 | 2,500 | 13.1% |
| 10 | New London | 27,625 | 3,562 | 12.9% |
| 11 | Naugatuck | 31,800 | 3,732 | 11.7% |
| 12 | Derby | 12,487 | 1,412 | 11.3% |
| 13 | Danbury | 87,263 | 9,818 | 11.3% |
| 14 | New Britain | 74,223 | 7,640 | 10.3% |
| 15 | Norwich | 39,973 | 3,830 | 9.6% |
| 16 | Groton | 9,490 | 755 | 8.0% |
| 17 | Meriden | 60,545 | 4,517 | 7.5% |
| 18 | Bristol | 61,462 | 4,470 | 7.3% |
| 19 | Shelton | 41,889 | 2,804 | 6.7% |
| 20 | Torrington | 35,547 | 1,998 | 5.6% |
| 21 | Milford | 51,023 | 1,542 | 3.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 21 cities with more than 9,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Connecticut
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Connecticut according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Connecticut are Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, West Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Middletown, Ansonia, and New London. Not sold on Connecticut? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
