The 10 Oregon Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2026


The most African American cities in Oregon are Fairview and Portland for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most African American cities in Oregon research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Oregon’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Oregon based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in Oregon is Fairview based on the most recent Census data.

  • Fairview is 11.39% Black.

  • The least African American city in Oregon is Milton-Freewater.

  • Milton-Freewater is 0.0% Black.

  • Oregon is 1.8% Black.

  • Oregon is the 41st blackest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest Black Population In Oregon Map


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Black community is one of the fastest-growing communities in America this decade.

Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in Oregon is 77,886 – at 1.8% of the total population of Oregon.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census’s race and ethnicity definition. Most scholars and historians agree that increasing diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted Oregon? Which cities and towns in Oregon have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Oregon with the largest African American population in 2026:

What’s the blackest city in Oregon? The city with the largest Black population in Oregon for 2026 is Fairview. See if Fairview ranked as one of the most african american places in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in Oregon or the most diverse places in Oregon.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Oregon For 2026

1. Fairview

Fairview, OR

Source: Wikipedia User Finetooth | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,735
% African American: 11.39%
# Of African American Residents: 1,223
Percent Change Since 2010: 78.54%
More on Fairview: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

2. Portland

Portland, OR

Source: Wikipedia User Visitor7 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 641,165
% African American: 5.51%
# Of African American Residents: 35,307
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.25%
More on Portland: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

3. Sheridan

Sheridan, OR

Source: Wikipedia User M.O. Stevens | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,339
% African American: 4.75%
# Of African American Residents: 301
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.04%
More on Sheridan: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

4. Gresham

Gresham, OR

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 112,378
% African American: 4.54%
# Of African American Residents: 5,105
Percent Change Since 2010: 64.41%
More on Gresham: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

5. Florence

Florence, OR

Source: Wikipedia User Sam Beebe | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,482
% African American: 2.9%
# Of African American Residents: 275
Percent Change Since 2010: 1427.78%
More on Florence: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

6. Hillsboro

Hillsboro, OR

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 108,231
% African American: 2.89%
# Of African American Residents: 3,126
Percent Change Since 2010: 117.08%
More on Hillsboro: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

7. Beaverton

Beaverton, OR

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 97,812
% African American: 2.51%
# Of African American Residents: 2,454
Percent Change Since 2010: 112.1%
More on Beaverton: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

8. Happy Valley

Happy Valley, OR

Source: Wikipedia User Esprqii | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 26,738
% African American: 2.34%
# Of African American Residents: 626
Percent Change Since 2010: 135.34%
More on Happy Valley: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

9. Troutdale

Troutdale, OR

Source: Wikipedia User JoJoes123 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 15,923
% African American: 2.2%
# Of African American Residents: 350
Percent Change Since 2010: -14.22%
More on Troutdale: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

10. Forest Grove

Forest Grove, OR

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 26,529
% African American: 2.19%
# Of African American Residents: 582
Percent Change Since 2010: 4376.92%
More on Forest Grove: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Oregon 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 Oregon.

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*
* Not Hispanic or latino

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 Oregon. That left us with 73 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 11.4% 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. Fairview took the distinction of being the most Black, while Milton-Freewater was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Oregon with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Oregon ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across Oregon

If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Oregon according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

The blackest cities in Oregon are Fairview, Portland, Sheridan, Gresham, Florence, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Happy Valley, Troutdale, and Forest Grove.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Oregon:

  1. Milton-Freewater
  2. Winston
  3. Madras

For more Oregon reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Oregon

RankCityPopulationAfrican American Population% African American
1Fairview10,7351,22311.39%
2Portland641,16535,3075.51%
3Sheridan6,3393014.75%
4Gresham112,3785,1054.54%
5Florence9,4822752.9%
6Hillsboro108,2313,1262.89%
7Beaverton97,8122,4542.51%
8Happy Valley26,7386262.34%
9Troutdale15,9233502.2%
10Forest Grove26,5295822.19%
11Milwaukie21,3924111.92%
12Baker City10,2101801.76%
13Silverton10,4561741.66%
14Eugene179,5912,8691.6%
15Corvallis59,9609331.56%
16Salem178,8652,7811.55%
17Umatilla7,5081131.51%
18West Linn26,9353991.48%
19Dallas17,5312541.45%
20Tigard56,0117971.42%
21Gladstone11,9771581.32%
22Wilsonville26,9743551.32%
23Cornelius14,2551851.3%
24Prineville11,4701381.2%
25Monmouth11,4281331.16%
26Seaside7,192771.07%
27La Grande13,0581381.06%
28Oregon City37,7553881.03%
29Medford86,3158841.02%
30Hermiston19,5462001.02%
31Pendleton16,9501691.0%
32Tualatin27,7632730.98%
33Newport10,5831040.98%
34Springfield61,4995720.93%
35Keizer39,0823390.87%
36North Bend10,171840.83%
37Sutherlin8,599690.8%
38Albany56,8394400.77%
39Central Point19,2161470.76%
40Newberg26,0661990.76%
41Ontario11,842860.73%
42Hood River8,361590.71%
43Klamath Falls22,1151510.68%
44Lake Oswego40,3812690.67%
45Talent6,254400.64%
46Astoria10,109630.62%
47Independence10,199570.56%
48The Dalles15,917870.55%
49Coos Bay15,925830.52%
50Mcminnville34,5961600.46%
51Cottage Grove10,698490.46%
52Scappoose8,179340.42%
53Grants Pass39,3111610.41%
54Sweet Home10,078360.36%
55Bend103,3903600.35%
56Canby18,134630.35%
57Eagle Point9,839310.32%
58Junction City6,947200.29%
59Sherwood20,307540.27%
60Redmond36,092890.25%
61Woodburn27,875600.22%
62Roseburg23,778490.21%
63Stayton8,292170.21%
64Lincoln City9,968130.13%
65St. Helens14,258140.1%
66Lebanon19,344170.09%
67Ashland21,259160.08%
68Sandy12,85440.03%
69Brookings6,70310.01%
70Molalla10,18600.0%
71Madras7,67600.0%
72Winston5,69000.0%
73Milton-Freewater7,03600.0%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.