Utah is the 30th most populous state in the United States with a population of about 3.3 million, according to projections from the US Census Bureau's 2017 estimates. Much of the population lives in cities and towns along the Wasatch Front, a metropolitan region that runs north-south with the Wasatch Mountains rising on the eastern side. Growth outside the Wasatch Front is also increasing.
Utah’s increasing racial and ethnic diversity is due in part to an increasing number of Black or African American residents across the state. According to 2020 Census data, more than 67,000 Utahns identify as Black or African American. About 40% are multiracial, listing Black or African American along with one or more other races. The majority of these multiracial residents describe themselves as both Black or African American and White. Latinos are the largest ethnic or racial minority in Utah, around 16% of the population as of 2023.
Nationally, 48.3 million people in the United States identified as Black in 2023, 14.4% of the population. That's up 33% from 36.2 million in 2000, Pew said. The places with the largest Black populations as of 2023 were Texas, 4.33 million; Florida, 4 million; and Georgia, 3.7 million.
Between 2010 and 2020, Utah’s Black or African American population grew by nearly 24,000 residents (both Black alone and in combination with other races). Over the decade, Utah’s Black population grew 55% while the total state population grew only 18%, causing the Black share of the state to increase from 1.6% to 2.1%.
According to one-year American Community Survey estimates, Census Bureau figures crunched by Pew, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization, the Black population in Utah totaled 72,756 as of 2023. That's up 89% from the figure for 2010, 38,539, tops among places that had at least 25,000 Black residents as of 2010. Next, said Pew, came Arizona, Nevada and Minnesota, with 60% increases since 2010."The Black population has grown fastest in states that historically have not had many Black residents," said the Pew report, released last Thursday.
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The sharp percentage increase in Utah notwithstanding, the state ranks 40th among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in the number of Black residents, compared to 41st in 2010. The concentration of the Black population, 2.1% of Utah's total headcount as of 2023, represents a jump from 1.4% in 2010. Still, in both years, the state ranked 48th, ahead of just Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.
According to the 2020 Census, 52% of Utah’s Black population lives in Salt Lake County, which is home to 36% of the total state population. A slightly larger share of Utah’s Black residents (87%) live along the Wasatch Front than the population as a whole (75%).
South Salt Lake took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in utah for 2021. South Salt Lake has the highest percentage of African Americans of any city or town in Utah, with at least 11% of its residents identifying as Black.
Much of the available summary table data describing Black Utahns in detail is provided through the 2021 5-Year American Community Survey, and includes only those who select Black or African American as their single race. Black Utahns are more likely than Black Americans nationally to be out-of-state migrants. Black women in Utah, however, are less likely than their national peers to hold bachelor’s degrees.
Figure 2. Heidi Prior is a public policy analyst at the Kem C.
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"The Black American population is diverse. This group consists of people with varied racial and ethnic identities and experiences. It includes those who say their race is Black, either alone or in combination with other racial backgrounds. It also includes Hispanics who say their race is Black," Pew said. Pew noted an increasing diversity among the Black population given the rising multiracial component. The coming of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, meantime, has been "an important contributor to Black population growth."
Map of Utah highlighting Salt Lake County, where the majority of the Black population resides.
Historical Context
The first African Americans to arrive in Utah were fur trappers in the early 19th century. The second influx consisted of both freedmen who were converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and slaves belonging to white converts. Later, most African American immigrants to Utah would migrate out for labor-related motivations. African Americans have traditionally been composed only a small part of the total population in Utah, with the 2010 census placing the percentage of African Americans at 1.06%. Including Multiracial people who are partly Black, Utah has 69,000 Black residents, with 35,000 reporting sole Black ancestry. That means Black people account for one and two percent of Utah's population under those respective categories.
The only record of African American presence in Utah prior to the arrival of pioneers from LDS Church was in the case of a few fur-trappers that traveled to the Utah Territory. In 1843, on John C. On July 22, 1847, pioneers from the LDS Church, led by Brigham Young, entered the Salt Lake Valley, fleeing Missouri and Illinois due to intense persecution. By the end of 1847, there were 12 African Americans living in the Salt Lake Valley, among them 8 slaves (including Oscar Crosby and Hark Lay), and a family of four free African Americans (Isaac and Jane Manning James family). By 1848 there were approximately 50 African Americans living in the Utah Territory after another pioneer company had arrived.
In 1852, the Utah Legislature, with input from the prophet and territorial governor Brigham Young, established the Act in Relation to Service, which established a legal precedent for slavery in the territory (both for African Americans and Native Americans). These laws both protected the rights and proper treatment of the slaves while also legitimizing slavery and the slaves' duty to their masters. For example, it required that slaves be protected from unwilling transfer and sexual exploitation and be given proper treatment and schooling. Until about 1870, most of the African American immigration to Utah was composed of converts to the LDS Church.
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The United States Military and the arrival of the railroads in Utah were perhaps the two biggest pull factors and employers for African Americans in this time period. In 1900, the most common occupation for African Americans was soldier, and second was "servants and waiters", which included the large number who worked for railroad companies. As the African American community grew with the insurgence of non-religious motivated pioneers in the late 1800s, and especially grouped in places like Salt Lake City and Ogden, African American media, organizations, and churches (besides the LDS Church) began to emerge in greater numbers.
There were two notable segregated African American military units in Utah in the late 1800s: the Ninth Cavalry Regiment and the 24th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Fort Duchesne (Uintah County) and Salt Lake City respectively. They were sent initially to help in the Indian Wars and in other necessary capacities. Some of the segregation present in Utah emerged in the late 1890s as a direct result of the arrival of the 24th Infantry to Salt Lake.
The early 1950s brought much-anticipated change to the Utah community of African Americans. Previously, many famous African Americans, including the opera singer Maria Anderson and other prominent musicians such as Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte, Ella Fitzgerald, and Lionel Hampton, all faced discrimination as they visited Utah. On the brink of Brown v. By 1960, the African American population in Utah had grown by more than 50% relative to 1950, with census data showing an overall African American population of 4,148 people, comprising 0.47% of Utah's total population.
In 1963, Utah's 75-year ban on miscegenation was lifted, allowing interracial marriage. A 1967 Daily Utah Chronicle interview with several African Americans in northern Utah provided insight into African-American views of racism and Utah's integration of civil rights policies. The interview reveals the African Americans, particularly youth, felt continued discouragement of interracial marriage, even after legalization, was wrong and unnecessary. Youth at West High School reported that they felt welcome and received fair treatment at school. Students at Ogden High School, however, complained about unfairness and prejudice from some teachers and principals.
By 1970, the African-American population in Utah had grown to 6,324. The LDS Church continued withholding priesthood authority from African Americans, causing tension and criticism within the church. In June 1978, Spencer W. Racism still serves as a form of denigration during sports rivalries in Utah. An interview with an African American basketball player at the University of Utah revealed that racial slurs are still commonly shouted out during and after sports matches.
The Calvary Baptist Church, a well-known African American house of worship, has had a presence in Salt Lake City since 1898. Founded by a small group of African American women who gathered regularly to pray, the small group quickly expanded and moved from personal homes into a larger building. Reverend A. E. Reynolds was invited to act as the Calvary Baptist Church's first pastor and served for approximately three years. Membership continued to grow rapidly. Under the direction of Reverend France Davis, a new facility was constructed in 2001 for worship services.
A 2013 study shows a large racial divide between East Salt Lake City and West Salt Lake City. The east is more affluent and is home to few African Americans and other minorities. The Salt Lake City chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) claimed in 2017 to receive over 10 reports of racism weekly. Complaints include workplace unfairness, use of racial slurs, and threats of violence.
Alvin B. Joseph Freeman - first African American to receive the priesthood after the 1978 announcement by Spencer W.
Key Statistics
The following table summarizes key statistics regarding the African American population in Utah:
| Attribute | Data |
|---|---|
| Total Black or African American population (2020) | 67,000+ |
| Percentage of multiracial individuals | 40% |
| Population growth (2010-2020) | 55% |
| Black population share of state (2023) | 2.1% |
| Black population in Salt Lake County | 52% |
