Census shows drop in D.C.’s black population

Official 2010 Census figures released Thursday show the District’s black population declining to slightly more than 50 percent of the city’s total number of residents.

The number of people who identify themselves as “black or African-American alone” total 305,125 of the city’s total 601,723 residents.

That figure is down more than 38,000 from a decade ago. Those who say they are “white alone” make up 231,471 of the total city population, up more than 55,000 people from 176,101 in 2000.

While still a slight majority, the decline in the number of black residents is significant in a city that has long been identified with its black majority population.

The District’s black population peaked at 71 percent in 1970 as tens of thousands of white residents left for the suburbs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But by 2006, the estimated percentage of
black residents had fallen to 57 percent. At the same time, the population of white residents, which plunged from 65 percent in 1950 to 27 percent 30 years later, is growing again.

The area with the largest population growth in the last 10 years was Ward 2, a predominately white section of Northwest. The only area to decrease in population was Ward 8, a largely black area of the city.

Overall, the District increased its population by nearly 30,000 people in the last decade from 572,059 in 2000 to 601,723 in 2010.