Most African American cities in Minnesota research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Minnesota’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 Minnesota is Waite Park (35.5% Black); the least is New Prague (0.0%). Statewide, Minnesota is 6.9% Black — the 25th 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 Minnesota, the Black population is 398,881, at 6.9% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Minnesota with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Stearns County, Minnesota
Waite Park is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,715 at the 2010 census and according to 2016 estimates is now 7,839. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Brooklyn Center is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The city is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River on the northwest border of Minneapolis. The population was 30,104 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Brooklyn Park is the sixth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, upstream from downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County. Brooklyn Park is a northwest suburb of the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Anoka County, Minnesota
Columbia Heights is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 19,496 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
New Hope is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 20,339 at the 2010 census and 21,032 at the 2015 estimate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hopkins is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, located west of Minneapolis. The city is four square miles in size and is surrounded by the larger, west suburban communities of Minnetonka, Saint Louis Park, and Edina. Hopkins is about 98% developed with little remaining vacant land. The population was 17,591 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Anoka County, Minnesota
Fridley is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 27,208 at the 2010 census. Fridley was incorporated in 1949 as a village and became a city in 1957. It is part of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Fridley is a “first ring” or “inner ring” suburb in the northern part of the Twin Cities. Fridley connects with the city of Minneapolis at its southern border. Neighboring first ring suburbs are Columbia Heights to the South and Brooklyn Center to the West across the Mississippi river.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Stearns County, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state’s central region. Its population is 67,109 according to the 2015 US census estimates, making it Minnesota’s tenth largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stearns County and was named after the city of Saint-Cloud, France, which was named after the 6th-century French monk Clodoald.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Minneapolis ) is the county seat of Hennepin County, and the larger of the Twin Cities, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. As of 2016, Minneapolis is the largest city in the state of Minnesota and 46th-largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 413,651. The Twin Cities metropolitan area consists of Minneapolis, its neighbor Saint Paul, and suburbs which together contain about 3.5 million people, the second-largest economic center in the Midwest, after Chicago.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#10 most African American in Minnesota
Located in
Rice County, Minnesota
Faribault is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 23,352 at the 2010 census. Faribault is approximately 50 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Minnesota’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Minnesota’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Minnesota 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 Minnesota.
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 Minnesota. That left us with 139 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 35.5% 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. Waite Park took the distinction of being the most Black, while New Prague was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Minnesota with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Minnesota
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waite Park | 8,399 | 2,983 | 35.5% |
| 2 | Brooklyn Center | 32,479 | 10,179 | 31.3% |
| 3 | Brooklyn Park | 83,876 | 24,935 | 29.7% |
| 4 | Columbia Heights | 22,155 | 5,948 | 26.8% |
| 5 | New Hope | 21,181 | 5,321 | 25.1% |
| 6 | Hopkins | 18,819 | 3,923 | 20.8% |
| 7 | Fridley | 30,241 | 6,172 | 20.4% |
| 8 | St. Cloud | 70,629 | 13,944 | 19.7% |
| 9 | Minneapolis | 427,246 | 79,251 | 18.5% |
| 10 | Faribault | 24,631 | 4,083 | 16.6% |
| 11 | St. Paul | 307,284 | 48,284 | 15.7% |
| 12 | Robbinsdale | 14,234 | 2,131 | 15.0% |
| 13 | New Brighton | 22,710 | 3,148 | 13.9% |
| 14 | Crystal | 22,476 | 3,065 | 13.6% |
| 15 | Burnsville | 64,463 | 8,623 | 13.4% |
| 16 | Bloomington | 88,665 | 10,645 | 12.0% |
| 17 | Eagan | 68,000 | 7,796 | 11.5% |
| 18 | Apple Valley | 55,679 | 6,051 | 10.9% |
| 19 | Richfield | 36,642 | 3,917 | 10.7% |
| 20 | Maplewood | 40,695 | 4,323 | 10.6% |
| 21 | Shakopee | 46,012 | 4,657 | 10.1% |
| 22 | Blaine | 72,488 | 7,292 | 10.1% |
| 23 | Savage | 32,889 | 3,243 | 9.9% |
| 24 | Willmar | 21,378 | 2,099 | 9.8% |
| 25 | Rochester | 122,330 | 11,957 | 9.8% |
| 26 | Champlin | 23,294 | 2,250 | 9.7% |
| 27 | St. Anthony | 9,671 | 934 | 9.7% |
| 28 | Coon Rapids | 63,468 | 6,071 | 9.6% |
| 29 | Oakdale | 28,585 | 2,710 | 9.5% |
| 30 | North St. Paul | 12,570 | 1,127 | 9.0% |
| 31 | St. Joseph | 7,021 | 588 | 8.4% |
| 32 | Otsego | 22,245 | 1,817 | 8.2% |
| 33 | Maple Grove | 71,173 | 5,794 | 8.1% |
| 34 | Roseville | 35,802 | 2,889 | 8.1% |
| 35 | St. Paul Park | 5,457 | 440 | 8.1% |
| 36 | Anoka | 17,970 | 1,420 | 7.9% |
| 37 | Woodbury | 78,305 | 6,125 | 7.8% |
| 38 | Falcon Heights | 5,085 | 394 | 7.7% |
| 39 | Ramsey | 28,421 | 2,089 | 7.4% |
| 40 | Little Canada | 10,514 | 772 | 7.3% |
| 41 | St. Peter | 12,185 | 894 | 7.3% |
| 42 | Worthington | 13,780 | 1,007 | 7.3% |
| 43 | Mankato | 45,473 | 3,195 | 7.0% |
| 44 | Golden Valley | 21,725 | 1,492 | 6.9% |
| 45 | Mounds View | 12,926 | 860 | 6.7% |
| 46 | Lakeville | 74,354 | 4,901 | 6.6% |
| 47 | Cottage Grove | 40,992 | 2,513 | 6.1% |
| 48 | Moorhead | 45,036 | 2,700 | 6.0% |
| 49 | Vadnais Heights | 12,838 | 762 | 5.9% |
| 50 | Inver Grove Heights | 35,906 | 2,109 | 5.9% |
| 51 | West St. Paul | 21,382 | 1,247 | 5.8% |
| 52 | Eden Prairie | 63,051 | 3,579 | 5.7% |
| 53 | South St. Paul | 20,611 | 1,069 | 5.2% |
| 54 | St. Michael | 20,010 | 1,028 | 5.1% |
| 55 | Austin | 26,358 | 1,332 | 5.1% |
| 56 | Plymouth | 79,220 | 3,912 | 4.9% |
| 57 | Elk River | 26,793 | 1,258 | 4.7% |
| 58 | Spring Lake Park | 7,032 | 329 | 4.7% |
| 59 | Marshall | 13,896 | 649 | 4.7% |
| 60 | Sartell | 19,758 | 905 | 4.6% |
| 61 | Andover | 33,035 | 1,511 | 4.6% |
| 62 | St. Louis Park | 49,594 | 2,251 | 4.5% |
| 63 | Owatonna | 26,498 | 1,195 | 4.5% |
| 64 | North Mankato | 14,211 | 639 | 4.5% |
| 65 | Big Lake | 12,367 | 527 | 4.3% |
| 66 | Minnetonka | 53,064 | 2,217 | 4.2% |
| 67 | Farmington | 23,902 | 996 | 4.2% |
| 68 | Hugo | 16,340 | 662 | 4.1% |
| 69 | East Grand Forks | 9,028 | 346 | 3.8% |
| 70 | Shoreview | 26,714 | 1,018 | 3.8% |
| 71 | Lino Lakes | 22,113 | 838 | 3.8% |
| 72 | Belle Plaine | 7,423 | 281 | 3.8% |
| 73 | Winona | 26,009 | 935 | 3.6% |
| 74 | White Bear Lake | 23,908 | 796 | 3.3% |
| 75 | Rogers | 13,685 | 454 | 3.3% |
| 76 | Chaska | 28,706 | 932 | 3.2% |
| 77 | Red Wing | 16,758 | 534 | 3.2% |
| 78 | Rosemount | 27,562 | 863 | 3.1% |
| 79 | Forest Lake | 20,729 | 615 | 3.0% |
| 80 | Edina | 53,262 | 1,565 | 2.9% |
| 81 | Duluth | 87,093 | 2,368 | 2.7% |
| 82 | Arden Hills | 9,658 | 259 | 2.7% |
| 83 | Albertville | 8,207 | 208 | 2.5% |
| 84 | Albert Lea | 18,330 | 427 | 2.3% |
| 85 | Jordan | 6,771 | 155 | 2.3% |
| 86 | Lake Elmo | 13,140 | 300 | 2.3% |
| 87 | Prior Lake | 28,016 | 627 | 2.2% |
| 88 | Victoria | 11,295 | 252 | 2.2% |
| 89 | Northfield | 20,742 | 433 | 2.1% |
| 90 | Hibbing | 16,057 | 315 | 2.0% |
| 91 | Bemidji | 15,569 | 287 | 1.8% |
| 92 | Waseca | 9,164 | 159 | 1.7% |
| 93 | Fergus Falls | 14,181 | 244 | 1.7% |
| 94 | Hermantown | 10,218 | 175 | 1.7% |
| 95 | Mound | 9,107 | 153 | 1.7% |
| 96 | Morris | 5,128 | 86 | 1.7% |
| 97 | Sauk Rapids | 13,852 | 227 | 1.6% |
| 98 | Cambridge | 10,307 | 166 | 1.6% |
| 99 | Grand Rapids | 11,207 | 156 | 1.4% |
| 100 | Chanhassen | 26,006 | 333 | 1.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 139 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Minnesota
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Minnesota according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Minnesota are Waite Park, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Columbia Heights, New Hope, Hopkins, Fridley, St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and Faribault. Not sold on Minnesota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
