More Blacks Are Enrolled in College in California Than in Any Other State: Montana Has the Fewest Black Students in College

Nationwide, blacks make up about 13 percent of total enrollments in higher education. This is comparable to the black percentage of the U.S. population.

The African-American college population remains concentrated in the Deep South. As a result, the black percentage of total enrollments is highest in Mississippi, Georgia, and other Deep South states. In the North, the states with the highest percentages of blacks among their total college enrollments are Illinois, Michigan, and New York. As expected, the lowest number and lowest percentage of black enrollments are found in the predominantly white states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. 

When we examine actual numbers rather than percentages, California has the most black students enrolled in college than any other state. Florida has moved into the second position followed closely by New York and Texas. Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, North Dakota, and Vermont all have fewer than 1,000 black students enrolled in college.

Copyright © 2009. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.