Most African American cities in Idaho research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Idaho’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 Idaho is Mountain Home (2.7% Black); the least is Hailey (0.0%). Statewide, Idaho is 0.7% Black — the 49th 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 Idaho, the Black population is 13,888, at 0.7% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Idaho with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Elmore County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Boise ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, the population of Boise at the 2010 Census was 205,671, the 99th largest in the United States. Its estimated population in 2016 was 223,154.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Latah County, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho along the state border with Washington, with a population of 23,800 at the 2010 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the University of Idaho, the state’s land grant institution and primary research university, as well as the home of New Saint Andrews College, a Christian liberal arts college.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#4 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Madison County, Idaho
Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 25,484 at the 2010 census, up from 17,257 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison Counties. The city is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Twin Falls County, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 44,125 as of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Meridian is a city located in Ada County in the US state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Meridian was 75,092 making it the third largest city in Idaho after Boise and Nampa. A 2015 estimate placed the population at approximately 90,739. Meridian is the state’s fastest-growing city, with an 81.5 percent increase in population since 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Canyon County, Idaho
Nampa ) is the largest city of Canyon County, Idaho. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census making it the second-most populous city in Idaho. Nampa is located about 20 miles west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is the second principal city of the Boise-Nampa metropolitan area. The name “Nampa” may have come from a Shoshoni word meaning either moccasin or footprint.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Power County, Idaho
Pocatello ) is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock county. As of the 2010 census the population of Pocatello was 54,255.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most African American in Idaho
Located in
Minidoka County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Idaho’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Idaho’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Idaho 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 Idaho.
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 Idaho. That left us with 32 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 2.7% 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 Hailey was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Idaho with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Idaho
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Home | 16,493 | 448 | 2.7% |
| 2 | Boise City | 237,242 | 3,805 | 1.6% |
| 3 | Moscow | 26,286 | 370 | 1.4% |
| 4 | Rexburg | 40,543 | 496 | 1.2% |
| 5 | Twin Falls | 54,164 | 649 | 1.2% |
| 6 | Meridian | 130,138 | 1,555 | 1.2% |
| 7 | Nampa | 110,319 | 1,285 | 1.2% |
| 8 | Pocatello | 57,635 | 660 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Garden City | 12,654 | 85 | 0.7% |
| 10 | Burley | 11,958 | 73 | 0.6% |
| 11 | Coeur d’Alene | 56,447 | 295 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Idaho Falls | 67,725 | 324 | 0.5% |
| 13 | Eagle | 32,855 | 157 | 0.5% |
| 14 | Hayden | 16,338 | 74 | 0.5% |
| 15 | Weiser | 5,935 | 25 | 0.4% |
| 16 | Kuna | 27,158 | 107 | 0.4% |
| 17 | Chubbuck | 16,126 | 62 | 0.4% |
| 18 | Star | 14,745 | 53 | 0.4% |
| 19 | Middleton | 10,649 | 38 | 0.4% |
| 20 | Caldwell | 66,516 | 193 | 0.3% |
| 21 | Blackfoot | 12,782 | 34 | 0.3% |
| 22 | Post Falls | 43,391 | 95 | 0.2% |
| 23 | Sandpoint | 9,637 | 19 | 0.2% |
| 24 | Payette | 8,536 | 15 | 0.2% |
| 25 | Lewiston | 34,651 | 55 | 0.2% |
| 26 | Ammon | 19,064 | 17 | 0.1% |
| 27 | Jerome | 12,930 | 11 | 0.1% |
| 28 | Emmett | 8,275 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 30 | Rathdrum | 10,874 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 30 | Preston | 5,928 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 30 | Rupert | 6,190 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 30 | Hailey | 9,665 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 32 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
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, Boise City, Moscow, Rexburg, Twin Falls, Meridian, Nampa, Pocatello, Garden City, and Burley. Not sold on Idaho? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
