Most African American cities in Nebraska research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Nebraska’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 Nebraska is Lexington (13.8% Black); the least is Plattsmouth (0.2%). Statewide, Nebraska is 4.6% Black — the 32nd 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 Nebraska, the Black population is 90,861, at 4.6% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Nebraska with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Dawson County, Nebraska
Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,230 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and the Union Pacific Railroad. In the 1860s it was the location of a stop along the Pony Express.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Nebraska
South Sioux City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is located immediately across the Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, and is part of the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,353, making it the 14th largest city in Nebraska.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Douglas County, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 10 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. According to the 2010 census, Omaha’s population was 408,958, making it the nation’s 44th-largest city; this had increased to 446,970 as of a 2016 estimate. Including its suburbs, Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2013, with an estimated population of 895,151 residing in eight counties. The Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, Nebraska-IA Combined Statistical Area is 931,667, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 estimate. Nearly 1.3 million people reside within the Greater Omaha area, comprising a 50-mile radius of Downtown Omaha, the city’s center.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#4 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Sarpy County, Nebraska
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Colfax County, Nebraska
Schuyler is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city is named after former Vice President of the United States, Schuyler Colfax.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Sarpy County, Nebraska
La Vista is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,758 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated on February 23, 1960.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Lancaster County, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers 93.46 square miles with a population of 280,364 in 2016. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 71st-largest in the United States. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the state called the Lincoln Metropolitan and Lincoln-Beatrice Combined Statistical Areas. The statistical area is home to 348,720 people, making it the 105th-largest combined statistical area in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#8 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Sarpy County, Nebraska
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in Nebraska
Located in
Hall County, Nebraska
Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most African American in Nebraska
Nebraska City is a city in, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Nebraska’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Nebraska 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 Nebraska.
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 Nebraska. That left us with 31 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 13.8% to 0.2%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Lexington took the distinction of being the most Black, while Plattsmouth was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Nebraska with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Nebraska
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington | 10,862 | 1,497 | 13.8% |
| 2 | South Sioux City | 13,907 | 1,844 | 13.3% |
| 3 | Omaha | 488,837 | 55,778 | 11.4% |
| 4 | Bellevue | 64,510 | 3,626 | 5.6% |
| 5 | Schuyler | 6,578 | 339 | 5.2% |
| 6 | La Vista | 16,563 | 717 | 4.3% |
| 7 | Lincoln | 294,856 | 12,059 | 4.1% |
| 8 | Papillion | 25,244 | 977 | 3.9% |
| 9 | Grand Island | 52,884 | 2,032 | 3.8% |
| 10 | Nebraska City | 7,369 | 135 | 1.8% |
| 11 | Wayne | 6,121 | 99 | 1.6% |
| 12 | Hastings | 25,008 | 388 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Gering | 8,550 | 130 | 1.5% |
| 14 | Holdrege | 5,546 | 75 | 1.4% |
| 15 | Sidney | 6,419 | 71 | 1.1% |
| 16 | Kearney | 34,246 | 367 | 1.1% |
| 17 | North Platte | 22,831 | 238 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Norfolk | 26,054 | 257 | 1.0% |
| 19 | McCook | 7,314 | 70 | 1.0% |
| 20 | Ralston | 6,472 | 56 | 0.9% |
| 21 | Beatrice | 12,225 | 100 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Columbus | 24,488 | 199 | 0.8% |
| 23 | Crete | 7,527 | 56 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Chadron | 5,160 | 38 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Blair | 7,914 | 56 | 0.7% |
| 26 | York | 8,141 | 55 | 0.7% |
| 27 | Fremont | 27,567 | 162 | 0.6% |
| 28 | Seward | 7,678 | 43 | 0.6% |
| 29 | Scottsbluff | 14,376 | 43 | 0.3% |
| 30 | Alliance | 8,075 | 15 | 0.2% |
| 31 | Plattsmouth | 6,731 | 12 | 0.2% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 31 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Nebraska
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Nebraska according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Nebraska are Lexington, South Sioux City, Omaha, Bellevue, Schuyler, La Vista, Lincoln, Papillion, Grand Island, and Nebraska City. Not sold on Nebraska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
