The number of Black people living in the United States reached a new high of 49.2 million in 2024, according to federal data analyzed by the Pew Research Center.
Over the past quarter-century, the Black American population has grown by 36 percent, up from 36.2 million in 2000. Over the same time period, the number of mixed-race, non-Hispanic Black Americans has grown by 295 percent, while the number of Black and Hispanic Americans has grown by 232 percent.
Notably, the Black population has grown the fastest in states that historically have not had many Black residents. From 2010 to 2024, the Black population in Utah grew by 104 percent. Large relative increases also occurred in Arizona (68 percent), Minnesota (67 percent), and Nevada (62 percent), while the largest numerical increases occurred in Texas (1.3 million), Florida (910,000), and Georgia (680,000). Conversely, the only states with declines in their share of Black residents were Illinois (-2 percent), Mississippi (-1 percent), and the District of Columbia (-1 percent).
Among metropolitan areas in the United States, New York City had the highest number of Black American residents in 2024 (3.9 million). The Atlanta area had the highest share of Black residents in 2024, with nearly four-in-ten Atlanta residents identifying as Black. Large increases in the share of Black residents were found in Dallas and Houston, while Chicago’s Black population declined by 3 percent.
Compared to other major racial groups, Black Americans tend to be younger, with a median age of 33.7 years in 2024. Single-race Black Americans had a median age of 36.7 years. For mixed-race Black Americans, those with Hispanic ancestry had a median age of 22.4 years, compared to 21.1 years for those without Hispanic ancestry. The median age of non-Black Americans was 40.2 years in 2024.
Since 2000, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Black Americans who hold at least a bachelor’s degree, rising from 14.5 percent to 27.7 percent in 2024. As of 2024, 30.7 percent of Black American women and 24.3 percent of Black American men held a bachelor’s degree.
Black adults are significantly less likely to be married than adults of other races. In 2024, 48 percent of Black adults had never been married, compared to 29 percent of other adults. There were also significant differences in marital status between Black men and Black women. Black men were more likely to be married overall, and more likely to be married to someone who is not Black. On the other hand, Black women were more likely to be divorced, separated, or widowed, and more likely to be married to a Black spouse.
Black households had an overall median income of $57,200 in 2024, but income varied by different racial groups within the Black American population. Single-race Black households had a median annual income of $56,000, compared to $63,300 for Black Hispanic households and $67,000 for multiracial, non-Hispanic households.
