Most African American cities in Michigan research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Michigan’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 Michigan is Highland Park (82.2% Black); the least is Gladstone (0.0%). Statewide, Michigan is 13.1% Black — the 15th 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 Michigan, the Black population is 1,321,347, at 13.1% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Michigan with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the State of Michigan, within Metro Detroit. The population was 11,776 at the 2010 census. The city is completely surrounded by Detroit except for a small portion that touches the city of Hamtramck, which is also surrounded by Detroit.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Berrien County, Michigan
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo, and northwest of South Bend, Indiana. In 2010, the population was 10,038 according to the census. It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the Niles-Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with 156,813 people.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest city on the United States-Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2016 estimated population of 672,795, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after Chicago.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#4 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Muskegon County, Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Inkster is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. It is one of the few Metro Detroit suburbs whose population is majority African American.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Oakland County, Michigan
Southfield is a city in Oakland County of the US state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit, MI. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 71,739. A part of Metro Detroit’s upscale office market, the city’s marque is a cluster of five golden skyscrapers – known as the “Golden Triangle” – that form the contemporary 2,200,000 square feet Southfield Town Center office complex with a Westin Hotel and a conference center. In addition, a 33-story luxury residential high-rise is separate from the complex. To the west, near the confluence of I-696Lodge Freeway, is the American Center.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Harper Woods is a suburban U.S. city located on the eastern border of Detroit, Michigan. The city is located in Wayne County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 14,236.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Genesee County, Michigan
Flint is the largest city and county seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, 66 miles northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. According to the 2010 census, Flint has a population of 102,434, making it the seventh largest city in Michigan. The Flint metropolitan area is located entirely within Genesee County. It is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Michigan with a population of 425,790 in 2010. The city was incorporated in 1855.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Macomb County, Michigan
Eastpointe is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,442. Eastpointe forms a part of the Metro Detroit area. It borders 8 Mile Road on the northern edge of Detroit.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most African American in Michigan
Located in
Oakland County, Michigan
Oak Park is a city in south Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of the city of Detroit, which is located in neighboring Wayne County, and part of its metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population of Oak Park is 29,319.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Michigan’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Michigan 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 Michigan.
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 Michigan. That left us with 147 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 82.2% 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. Highland Park took the distinction of being the most Black, while Gladstone was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Michigan with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Michigan
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highland Park | 8,628 | 7,095 | 82.2% |
| 2 | Benton Harbor | 8,953 | 7,296 | 81.5% |
| 3 | Detroit | 638,530 | 478,586 | 75.0% |
| 4 | Muskegon Heights | 9,841 | 6,971 | 70.8% |
| 5 | Inkster | 25,428 | 17,887 | 70.3% |
| 6 | Southfield | 76,236 | 49,336 | 64.7% |
| 7 | Harper Woods | 15,116 | 9,432 | 62.4% |
| 8 | Flint | 80,175 | 44,337 | 55.3% |
| 9 | Eastpointe | 33,982 | 18,712 | 55.1% |
| 10 | Oak Park | 29,318 | 15,380 | 52.5% |
| 11 | Ecorse | 9,064 | 4,375 | 48.3% |
| 12 | River Rouge | 7,008 | 3,191 | 45.5% |
| 13 | Romulus | 24,831 | 11,041 | 44.5% |
| 14 | Saginaw | 43,536 | 19,285 | 44.3% |
| 15 | Pontiac | 62,104 | 25,918 | 41.7% |
| 16 | Center Line | 8,463 | 2,674 | 31.6% |
| 17 | Albion | 7,560 | 2,342 | 31.0% |
| 18 | Muskegon | 37,226 | 10,759 | 28.9% |
| 19 | St. Louis | 7,367 | 2,107 | 28.6% |
| 20 | Wayne | 17,310 | 4,281 | 24.7% |
| 21 | Roseville | 47,123 | 11,480 | 24.4% |
| 22 | Ypsilanti | 19,857 | 4,749 | 23.9% |
| 23 | Westland | 83,633 | 19,743 | 23.6% |
| 24 | Kalamazoo | 73,076 | 16,312 | 22.3% |
| 25 | Lansing | 113,023 | 24,771 | 21.9% |
| 26 | Warren | 137,928 | 30,049 | 21.8% |
| 27 | Kentwood | 54,296 | 11,692 | 21.5% |
| 28 | Mount Clemens | 15,511 | 3,098 | 20.0% |
| 29 | Jackson | 31,058 | 5,887 | 19.0% |
| 30 | Taylor | 62,081 | 11,720 | 18.9% |
| 31 | Farmington Hills | 83,515 | 15,208 | 18.2% |
| 32 | Grand Rapids | 198,535 | 34,779 | 17.5% |
| 33 | Battle Creek | 52,374 | 8,170 | 15.6% |
| 34 | Auburn Hills | 25,105 | 3,833 | 15.3% |
| 35 | Niles | 11,803 | 1,630 | 13.8% |
| 36 | Ionia | 12,753 | 1,595 | 12.5% |
| 37 | Wixom | 17,295 | 2,149 | 12.4% |
| 38 | Hazel Park | 14,963 | 1,648 | 11.0% |
| 39 | Burton | 29,500 | 3,128 | 10.6% |
| 40 | Melvindale | 12,554 | 1,282 | 10.2% |
| 41 | Lincoln Park | 39,257 | 4,003 | 10.2% |
| 42 | Fraser | 14,583 | 1,460 | 10.0% |
| 43 | Dearborn Heights | 61,771 | 6,088 | 9.9% |
| 44 | Wyoming | 77,353 | 6,935 | 9.0% |
| 45 | Grand Blanc | 7,987 | 685 | 8.6% |
| 46 | Lapeer | 9,082 | 751 | 8.3% |
| 47 | Riverview | 12,186 | 992 | 8.1% |
| 48 | Three Rivers | 7,943 | 637 | 8.0% |
| 49 | Southgate | 29,366 | 2,354 | 8.0% |
| 50 | Flat Rock | 10,340 | 828 | 8.0% |
| 51 | Dowagiac | 5,732 | 458 | 8.0% |
| 52 | Madison Heights | 28,419 | 2,223 | 7.8% |
| 53 | East Lansing | 45,758 | 3,460 | 7.6% |
| 54 | Monroe | 20,320 | 1,534 | 7.5% |
| 55 | Sterling Heights | 133,573 | 9,918 | 7.4% |
| 56 | Novi | 66,717 | 4,904 | 7.4% |
| 57 | Grandville | 16,356 | 1,173 | 7.2% |
| 58 | Woodhaven | 12,690 | 892 | 7.0% |
| 59 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 16,094 | 1,097 | 6.8% |
| 60 | Farmington | 11,504 | 772 | 6.7% |
| 61 | Garden City | 26,739 | 1,769 | 6.6% |
| 62 | Port Huron | 28,620 | 1,842 | 6.4% |
| 63 | Mason | 8,249 | 528 | 6.4% |
| 64 | Ferndale | 19,190 | 1,228 | 6.4% |
| 65 | Ann Arbor | 122,036 | 7,791 | 6.4% |
| 66 | Beverly Hills | 10,524 | 653 | 6.2% |
| 67 | Portage | 49,259 | 3,035 | 6.2% |
| 68 | Hamtramck | 27,743 | 1,704 | 6.1% |
| 69 | Royal Oak | 57,950 | 3,464 | 6.0% |
| 70 | Big Rapids | 8,477 | 500 | 5.9% |
| 71 | Allen Park | 27,925 | 1,612 | 5.8% |
| 72 | Grosse Pointe Park | 11,319 | 587 | 5.2% |
| 73 | Mount Pleasant | 21,236 | 1,078 | 5.1% |
| 74 | Springfield | 5,269 | 244 | 4.6% |
| 75 | St. Clair Shores | 58,140 | 2,683 | 4.6% |
| 76 | Coldwater | 13,671 | 617 | 4.5% |
| 77 | St. Joseph | 7,986 | 356 | 4.5% |
| 78 | Livonia | 93,851 | 4,028 | 4.3% |
| 79 | Adrian | 20,395 | 870 | 4.3% |
| 80 | Norton Shores | 25,041 | 1,047 | 4.2% |
| 81 | Holland | 34,423 | 1,403 | 4.1% |
| 82 | Rochester | 12,934 | 501 | 3.9% |
| 83 | Troy | 87,898 | 3,283 | 3.7% |
| 84 | St. Clair | 5,585 | 208 | 3.7% |
| 85 | Clawson | 11,374 | 418 | 3.7% |
| 86 | Dearborn | 107,423 | 3,897 | 3.6% |
| 87 | Rochester Hills | 77,089 | 2,690 | 3.5% |
| 88 | Walker | 25,386 | 860 | 3.4% |
| 89 | Walled Lake | 7,299 | 236 | 3.2% |
| 90 | Marquette | 21,325 | 652 | 3.1% |
| 91 | Holly | 5,964 | 182 | 3.1% |
| 92 | Flushing | 8,284 | 238 | 2.9% |
| 93 | Plymouth | 9,214 | 263 | 2.9% |
| 94 | Belding | 5,960 | 170 | 2.9% |
| 95 | Charlotte | 9,277 | 258 | 2.8% |
| 96 | Birmingham | 21,763 | 603 | 2.8% |
| 97 | Trenton | 18,125 | 487 | 2.7% |
| 98 | Houghton | 8,474 | 226 | 2.7% |
| 99 | Cadillac | 10,445 | 273 | 2.6% |
| 100 | Richmond | 5,855 | 141 | 2.4% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 147 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Michigan
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Michigan according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Michigan are Highland Park, Benton Harbor, Detroit, Muskegon Heights, Inkster, Southfield, Harper Woods, Flint, Eastpointe, and Oak Park. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
