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What is the blackest county in America?
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Black Americans make up 13% of the population of the United States, yet account for nearly 30% of the country’s prison population. In fact, African American males comprise almost half of the nation’s incarcerated population.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the state with the highest percentage of Black residents is Mississippi at 26%, followed by Louisiana at 25%.
While the majority of states have lower percentages of Blacks, several counties in the South have much higher rates. For example, according to the 2010 census, Shelby County, Alabama had the highest rate of Black residents at 60.9 percent.
Other Southern counties include Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana; DeKalb County, Georgia; and Holmes County, Mississippi.
Find out which counties have the highest percentage of African Americans
African American residents comprise 13% of the population of the United States. But where are these folks concentrated? What does this tell us about our country?
This map shows the distribution of African Americans across the U.S., based on 2010 Census Bureau estimates. The darker the color, the greater the concentration of African Americans.
The darkest red indicates that there are no African Americans living in that county. The darkest blue indicates that African Americans account for 100% of the population.
The map illustrates that African Americans are most heavily concentrated in the South (dark green), followed by the Midwest (light green) and West Coast (yellow).
The map also highlights some interesting patterns. For instance, African Americans are not evenly distributed throughout the Northeast. They’re clustered in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Newark, Hartford, Providence, and St. Louis.
There are many reasons why African Americans live in certain areas of the country. Some factors include economic conditions, job availability, transportation options, crime rates, and access to health care.
But whatever the reason, we should be proud of the fact that African Americans are spread throughout the entire nation. And we should celebrate the fact that they’ve found homes in every corner of the country.
Learn about the history behind this fascinating statistic
Black Americans have been fighting racism since slavery was abolished. But despite progress, there still exists a pervasive racial divide in our country. One of the most striking examples of this divide is the fact that African American men are nearly three times more likely than white men to be incarcerated.
This shocking statistic is known as the Black Male Disparity. And it’s not just a problem in the United States; similar disparities exist throughout the world.
Discover how the data was collected
The Blackest County in America study was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC collects information on deaths and causes of death from vital records and death certificates. They use this information to determine the leading causes of death in each state.
The CDC uses these statistics to create reports that help them identify areas where there may be problems with health care access and quality. This helps them target resources to improve public health outcomes.
To collect the data, the CDC sent out questionnaires to every county in the United States. These questionnaires asked questions about the number of deaths per 100,000 residents, the percentage of deaths due to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, influenza/pneumonia, chronic lower respiratory diseases, unintentional injuries, suicide, homicide, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney failure, liver failure, Parkinson’s disease, motor vehicle crashes, and drug overdoses.
After collecting the data, the CDC used statistical analysis to calculate the average rates of death across the country. Then, they compared those results to the national averages to find the counties with the highest rate of death.
Explore the map
Black counties are often overlooked when discussing American geography. But there are some interesting facts about them.
For instance, the largest city in the country is located in a Black County. The second largest city is located in another Black County. And the third largest city is located in yet another Black County.
And the list goes on…
But here’s the kicker: There are no White Counties in the United States. So where does this leave us? Well, we’re left with the question: What is the darkest county in America?
Well, according to Wikipedia, the answer is: Shelby County, Alabama. This county contains the most amount of African Americans per capita than any other county in the nation.
Shelby County is home to over 1 million residents, making it the fourth largest county in the state. However, only 2% of its population identifies itself as being white.
This means that Shelby County is not just the darkest county in America; it’s also the whitest county in America.
Now that’s pretty dark.
Finals
What is the blackest county? This infographic will give you some interesting insights into the demographics of the United States.