About 15% of people in the United States identify as Black or African American today, based on recent demographic estimates.

Quick Scoop

  • Recent analyses of U.S. population data put the Black population at roughly 14–15% of all residents.
  • One widely cited recent estimate puts it at about 15.2% , or around 51.6 million people in the U.S.
  • Earlier government and research estimates from the early 2020s placed the Black share closer to 14.4% , with about 48.3 million people in 2023.
  • Other demographic aggregators still cite figures in the 12.5–14.6% range depending on whether they count people who are Black alone or in combination with another race.

So if you’re looking for a simple answer to “what percentage of the US population is Black,” a realistic current ballpark is about 15% of the U.S. population.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.