Most African American cities in Vermont research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Vermont’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 Vermont is Winooski (3.2% Black); the least is Barre (0.1%). Statewide, Vermont is 1.1% Black — the 46th 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 Vermont, the Black population is 7,118, at 1.1% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in Vermont with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Chittenden County, Vermont
Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2010 U.S. Census the municipal population was 7,267. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is the smallest in area of Vermont’s nine incorporated cities. As part of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area, it is bordered by Burlington, Colchester, and South Burlington.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Chittenden County, Vermont
Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles south of the Canada-United States border and 94 miles south of Canada’s second most populous municipality, Montreal. The city’s population was 42,452 according to a 2015 U.S. census estimate. It is the least populous municipality in the United States to be the most populous incorporated area in a state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Chittenden County, Vermont
South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and home to the headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s and Vermont’s largest mall, the University Mall. It is also one in the principal municipalities of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Washington County, Vermont
Montpelier is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. As the site of Vermont’s state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. The population was 7,855 at the 2010 census. However, the daytime population swells to about 21,000, due to the large number of jobs within city limits. The Vermont College of Fine Arts and New England Culinary Institute are located in the municipality. It was named for Montpellier, France.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Rutland County, Vermont
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Franklin County, Vermont
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in Vermont
Located in
Washington County, Vermont
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Vermont’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Vermont’s Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Vermont 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 Vermont.
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 6,000 people in Vermont. That left us with 7 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 3.2% to 0.1%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Winooski took the distinction of being the most Black, while Barre was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Vermont with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In Vermont
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winooski | 8,293 | 266 | 3.2% |
| 2 | Burlington | 44,675 | 1,298 | 2.9% |
| 3 | South Burlington | 20,756 | 377 | 1.8% |
| 4 | Montpelier | 8,014 | 67 | 0.8% |
| 5 | Rutland | 15,712 | 104 | 0.7% |
| 6 | St. Albans | 6,954 | 31 | 0.4% |
| 7 | Barre | 8,412 | 10 | 0.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 7 cities with more than 6,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across Vermont
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Vermont according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in Vermont are Winooski, Burlington, South Burlington, Montpelier, Rutland, St. Albans, Barre. Not sold on Vermont? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
