EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EDT, SEPTEMBER 4, 1998 (FRIDAY) Public Information Office CB98-159 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Larry Sink/Amy Smith 301-457-2461 Florida Leads States and Harris County,Texas,Tops Counties in African American Population Increase, Census Bureau Reports Florida registered the biggest increase 480,255 in African American population among states between 1990 and 1997 and Harris County (Houston), Texas, was the top gainer 73,293 of African Americans among counties during the same period, according to new rankings released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. (The embargoed tabulations can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/dcmd/www/embargo/embargo.html. Call the Public Information Office to obtain access information. After the release time, the state data can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/statepop.html and the county data, at http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/countypop.html.) The states with the largest African American populations in 1997 were New York (3.2 million), California (2.4 million), Texas (2.4 million), Florida (2.3 million), Georgia (2.1 million), Illinois (1.8 million), North Carolina (1.6 million); Maryland, Louisiana and Michigan (1.4 million). The only changes in rankings from 1990 were that Louisiana and Michigan each fell one place, from 8th and 9th place to 9th and 10th place, respectively, while Maryland moved up two slots, from 10th to 8th place. The District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) led all states or state equivalents with the highest percentage (63 percent) of African Americans among the total population in 1997. Four Southern states rounded out the top five in this category: Mississippi (36 percent); Louisiana (32 percent); South Carolina (30 percent); and Georgia (28 percent). Besides Florida, other states that picked up big increases in African Americans from 1990 to 1997 were, in order: Georgia (374,946); Texas (326,065); Maryland (200,609); and North Carolina (181,417). Among counties, Prince George's County, Md., was No. 2 in African American population increase for the seven-year period, with 68,325 new African American residents. Other big gainers include: Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), Fla. (67,920); Fulton County (Atlanta), Ga. (66,017); and Dallas County,Texas (45,348). Cook County (Chicago), Ill., maintained its position in 1997 as the county in the United States with the highest number of African Americans (1.4 million). Los Angeles County, Calif., was second (1.0 million), followed by Kings County, N.Y. (924,862); Wayne County (Detroit), Mich. (894,079); and Philadelphia County, Pa. (625,040). As a percentage of a county's total population, Jefferson County, Miss., ranked No. 1, with 87 percent of its population made up of African Americans. Macon County, Ala., was a close second in this category (86 percent). Others in the top five were: Claiborne County, Miss. (82 percent), Hancock County, Ga. (82 percent); and Greene County, Ala. (81 percent). Editor's Note: The Public Information Office now has a media-access server for embargoed news releases and data sets. It is available to accredited media representatives only. To gain access, please contact us for a username and password. The media-access server's Internet address is http://www.census.gov/dcmd/www/embargo/embargo.html. We would appreciate any comments you may have about the site. The Census Bureau pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In more than 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
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