Texas Cities With The Largest Black Population [2026]

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

The city with the largest African American population in Texas is Prairie View based on the most recent Census data.
Prairie View is 81.64% Black.
The least African American city in Texas is Los Fresnos.
Los Fresnos is 0.0% Black.
Texas is 11.9% Black.
Texas is the 18th blackest state in the United States.

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 Texas is 3,595,595 – at 11.9% of the total population of Texas.

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 Texas? Which cities and towns in Texas have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

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

Most African American Places In Texas

What’s the blackest city in Texas? The city with the largest Black population in Texas for 2026 is Prairie View. See if Prairie View 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 Texas or the most diverse places in Texas.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Texas For 2026

1. Prairie View

Source: Wikipedia User Maureen.allen | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,431
% African American: 81.64%
# Of African American Residents: 6,883
Percent Change Since 2010: 45.33%
More on Prairie View: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

2. Desoto

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 56,211
% African American: 67.03%
# Of African American Residents: 37,676
Percent Change Since 2010: 25.5%
More on Desoto: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

3. Lancaster

Source: Wikipedia User Baroness of Ballymote at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 40,820
% African American: 64.24%
# Of African American Residents: 26,221
Percent Change Since 2010: 13.94%
More on Lancaster: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

4. Cedar Hill

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 48,879
% African American: 53.93%
# Of African American Residents: 26,359
Percent Change Since 2010: 24.63%
More on Cedar Hill: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

5. Glenn Heights

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 18,096
% African American: 51.66%
# Of African American Residents: 9,349
Percent Change Since 2010: 63.93%
More on Glenn Heights: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

6. Forest Hill

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 14,062
% African American: 46.2%
# Of African American Residents: 6,496
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.15%
More on Forest Hill: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

7. Beaumont

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 113,279
% African American: 45.22%
# Of African American Residents: 51,229
Percent Change Since 2010: -5.92%
More on Beaumont: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

8. Jasper

Source: Wikipedia User Wrbalusek | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,299
% African American: 43.5%
# Of African American Residents: 3,175
Percent Change Since 2010: 1.89%
More on Jasper: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

9. Red Oak

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 17,077
% African American: 43.14%
# Of African American Residents: 7,367
Percent Change Since 2010: 582.76%
More on Red Oak: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

10. Port Arthur

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Reed | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 55,828
% African American: 41.86%
# Of African American Residents: 23,369
Percent Change Since 2010: 7.74%
More on Port Arthur: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Texas 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 Texas.

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 Texas. That left us with 324 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 81.6% 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. Prairie View took the distinction of being the most Black, while Los Fresnos was the least African American city.

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

Read on for more information on how the cities in Texas 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 Texas

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

The blackest cities in Texas are Prairie View, DeSoto, Lancaster, Cedar Hill, Glenn Heights, Forest Hill, Beaumont, Jasper, Red Oak, and Port Arthur.

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

Los Fresnos
La Feria
Iowa Park

For more Texas reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Texas

Rank	City	Population	African American Population	% African American
1	Prairie View	8,431	6,883	81.64%
2	Desoto	56,211	37,676	67.03%
3	Lancaster	40,820	26,221	64.24%
4	Cedar Hill	48,879	26,359	53.93%
5	Glenn Heights	18,096	9,349	51.66%
6	Forest Hill	14,062	6,496	46.2%
7	Beaumont	113,279	51,229	45.22%
8	Jasper	7,299	3,175	43.5%
9	Red Oak	17,077	7,367	43.14%
10	Port Arthur	55,828	23,369	41.86%
11	Hempstead	6,137	2,567	41.83%
12	Crockett	6,364	2,553	40.12%
13	Marshall	23,825	9,466	39.73%
14	Marlin	5,516	2,171	39.36%
15	Missouri City	76,558	29,284	38.25%
16	Texarkana	35,992	13,470	37.42%
17	Killeen	158,159	56,168	35.51%
18	Balch Springs	27,255	8,866	32.53%
19	Center	5,271	1,573	29.84%
20	Lacy-Lakeview	7,274	2,150	29.56%
21	Duncanville	39,683	11,631	29.31%
22	Stafford	17,401	5,043	28.98%
23	Silsbee	6,842	1,954	28.56%
24	Rusk	5,477	1,564	28.56%
25	Cleveland	8,984	2,507	27.91%
26	Mexia	6,859	1,900	27.7%
27	Orange	19,177	5,228	27.26%
28	La Marque	19,268	5,228	27.13%
29	Harker Heights	34,128	9,239	27.07%
30	Princeton	25,229	6,796	26.94%
31	Mesquite	149,299	40,081	26.85%
32	Palestine	19,136	5,113	26.72%
33	Wake Village	5,867	1,548	26.38%
34	Texas City	55,364	14,422	26.05%
35	Atlanta	5,439	1,401	25.76%
36	Converse	29,607	7,381	24.93%
37	Grand Prairie	201,883	50,048	24.79%
38	Nacogdoches	32,197	7,947	24.68%
39	Navasota	8,542	2,072	24.26%
40	Terrell	20,366	4,866	23.89%
41	Mansfield	77,510	18,358	23.68%
42	Crowley	19,532	4,538	23.23%
43	Dallas	1,307,930	299,064	22.87%
44	Huntsville	47,864	10,780	22.52%
45	Houston	2,328,253	519,857	22.33%
46	Tyler	109,215	24,273	22.22%
47	Richmond	12,582	2,786	22.14%
48	Arlington	397,742	87,978	22.12%
49	Wharton	8,724	1,915	21.95%
50	Paris	24,775	5,428	21.91%
51	Little Elm	54,820	11,669	21.29%
52	Everman	6,106	1,299	21.27%
53	Hitchcock	7,563	1,601	21.17%
54	Commerce	9,383	1,930	20.57%
55	Humble	16,521	3,374	20.42%
56	Jacksonville	14,325	2,917	20.36%
57	Longview	82,923	16,662	20.09%
58	Rowlett	65,463	12,982	19.83%
59	Brenham	18,641	3,684	19.76%
60	Forney	31,532	6,101	19.35%
61	Fort Worth	963,194	186,317	19.34%
62	Waco	143,570	27,671	19.27%
63	Pearland	127,514	24,486	19.2%
64	Henderson	13,385	2,533	18.92%
65	Lufkin	34,251	6,273	18.31%
66	Cameron	5,416	952	17.58%
67	Pflugerville	65,971	11,538	17.49%
68	Live Oak	15,984	2,784	17.42%
69	Euless	60,421	10,418	17.24%
70	Waxahachie	45,347	7,772	17.14%
71	Seagoville	19,352	3,300	17.05%
72	Webster	12,366	2,095	16.94%
73	Mount Pleasant	16,136	2,729	16.91%
74	Elgin	11,563	1,907	16.49%
75	Kennedale	9,439	1,553	16.45%
76	Gladewater	6,227	999	16.04%
77	Addison	17,290	2,723	15.75%
78	Bryan	87,939	13,838	15.74%
79	Gatesville	16,228	2,535	15.62%
80	Anna	24,330	3,765	15.47%
81	Garland	246,844	37,235	15.08%
82	Baytown	85,205	12,797	15.02%
83	Galveston	53,424	8,017	15.01%
84	Jersey Village	7,817	1,164	14.89%
85	Freeport	10,621	1,571	14.79%
86	Wylie	60,334	8,741	14.49%
87	Edna	6,027	872	14.47%
88	Lewisville	131,080	18,617	14.2%
89	Kilgore	13,470	1,881	13.96%
90	Bay City	17,730	2,428	13.69%
91	Sulphur Springs	16,401	2,217	13.52%
92	Bellmead	10,566	1,423	13.47%
93	Dayton	9,058	1,216	13.42%
94	Greenville	31,222	4,180	13.39%
95	Cibolo	35,109	4,683	13.34%
96	Rosenberg	40,646	5,307	13.06%
97	Athens	13,200	1,723	13.05%
98	Corsicana	25,511	3,315	12.99%
99	Copperas Cove	37,947	4,927	12.98%
100	Bonham	10,697	1,380	12.9%

The 10 Texas Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2026

The most African American cities in Texas are Prairie View and Desoto for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most African American Places In Texas

The 10 Blackest Cities In Texas For 2026

1. Prairie View

2. Desoto

3. Lancaster

4. Cedar Hill

5. Glenn Heights

6. Forest Hill

7. Beaumont

8. Jasper

9. Red Oak

10. Port Arthur

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Texas With The Largest Black Population For 2026

Summary: Black Populations Across Texas

African American Population By City In Texas