Most African American cities in Maryland research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Maryland’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 Maryland is District Heights (82.3% Black); the least is Thurmont (1.3%). Statewide, Maryland is 28.9% Black — the 4th 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 Maryland, the Black population is 1,796,433, at 28.9% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Maryland with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Maryland
District Heights is an incorporated city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, located near Maryland Route 4. The population was 5,837 at the 2010 United States Census. For more information, see the separate articles on Forestville, Maryland and Suitland.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Glenarden is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,000 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Baltimore city, Maryland
Baltimore is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland, and the 30th-most populous city in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
New Carrollton is a city located in central Prince George’s County, Maryland, in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 12,135. New Carrollton is located 12 miles east of central Washington, D.C.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George’s County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,148 at the 2010 census. Areas in Bladensburg have the ZIP code 20710. Bladensburg is 8.6 miles from central Washington, D.C.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George’s County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2014 CNN Money ranked Bowie 28th in its Best Places to Live in America list.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George’s County, Maryland, in the United States, located almost midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. Founded as a mill town in the early 19th century, the arrival of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1835 expanded local industry and later enabled the city to become an early commuter town for Washington and Baltimore workers. Largely residential today, the city maintains a historic district centered on its Main Street, highlighting its industrial past.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Greenbelt is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, United States. Contained within today’s City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as “Old Greenbelt” and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District. Greenbelt’s population was 23,068 at the 2010 U.S. Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Cheverly is a town in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., United States. The town was founded in 1918, and it was incorporated in 1931. Cheverly had 6,173 residents as of the 2010 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most African American in Maryland
Located in
Dorchester County, Maryland
Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,326 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county’s largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Maryland’s Eastern Shore region, after Salisbury, Elkton and Easton.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maryland’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Maryland’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Maryland 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 Maryland.
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 Maryland. That left us with 39 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 82.3% to 1.3%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. District Heights took the distinction of being the most Black, while Thurmont was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Maryland with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Maryland
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District Heights | 5,891 | 4,848 | 82.3% |
| 2 | Glenarden | 6,344 | 4,657 | 73.4% |
| 3 | Baltimore | 573,243 | 335,489 | 58.5% |
| 4 | New Carrollton | 13,564 | 7,588 | 55.9% |
| 5 | Bladensburg | 9,583 | 5,140 | 53.6% |
| 6 | Bowie | 57,926 | 30,914 | 53.4% |
| 7 | Laurel | 29,798 | 15,588 | 52.3% |
| 8 | Greenbelt | 24,678 | 11,832 | 47.9% |
| 9 | Cheverly | 6,096 | 2,725 | 44.7% |
| 10 | Cambridge | 13,152 | 5,744 | 43.7% |
| 11 | Mount Rainier | 8,245 | 3,560 | 43.2% |
| 12 | Salisbury | 33,285 | 13,493 | 40.5% |
| 13 | La Plata | 10,683 | 3,820 | 35.8% |
| 14 | Takoma Park | 17,632 | 5,148 | 29.2% |
| 15 | Aberdeen | 17,298 | 4,995 | 28.9% |
| 16 | Riverdale Park | 7,270 | 1,789 | 24.6% |
| 17 | Hyattsville | 20,966 | 5,088 | 24.3% |
| 18 | College Park | 34,540 | 8,151 | 23.6% |
| 19 | Cheste | 5,594 | 1,237 | 22.1% |
| 20 | Hagerstown | 43,665 | 9,150 | 21.0% |
| 21 | Annapolis | 40,720 | 8,236 | 20.2% |
| 22 | Havre de Grace | 14,994 | 2,852 | 19.0% |
| 23 | Frederick | 83,395 | 14,204 | 17.0% |
| 24 | Elkton | 15,910 | 2,635 | 16.6% |
| 25 | Easton | 17,308 | 2,719 | 15.7% |
| 26 | Gaithersburg | 69,825 | 10,219 | 14.6% |
| 27 | Frostburg | 6,977 | 799 | 11.5% |
| 28 | Rockville | 67,671 | 7,462 | 11.0% |
| 29 | Taneytown | 7,932 | 732 | 9.2% |
| 30 | Brunswick | 8,450 | 708 | 8.4% |
| 31 | Westminster | 20,445 | 1,634 | 8.0% |
| 32 | Chesapeake Beach | 6,456 | 493 | 7.6% |
| 33 | Walkersville | 6,414 | 481 | 7.5% |
| 34 | Bel Air | 10,585 | 459 | 4.3% |
| 35 | Cumberland | 18,804 | 767 | 4.1% |
| 36 | Hampstead | 6,251 | 205 | 3.3% |
| 37 | Mount Airy | 9,805 | 251 | 2.6% |
| 38 | Ocean City | 6,903 | 107 | 1.6% |
| 39 | Thurmont | 6,254 | 81 | 1.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 39 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Maryland
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Maryland according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Maryland are District Heights, Glenarden, Baltimore, New Carrollton, Bladensburg, Bowie, Laurel, Greenbelt, Cheverly, and Cambridge.
