2025

Cities in Johnston County, NC ranked by Black Population

This list ranks the 16 cities in Johnston County based on their Black or African American population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest Black population in Johnston County

View All
  • 1
    Clayton
    Black population in Clayton is 8,064
    13.43% of Clayton population is Black
  • 2
    Clayton
    Black population in Clayton is 8,064
    13.43% of Clayton population is Black
  • 3
    Zebulon
    Black population in Zebulon is 3,404
    18.80% of Zebulon population is Black
  • 4
    Zebulon
    Black population in Zebulon is 3,404
    18.80% of Zebulon population is Black
  • 5
    Smithfield
    Black population in Smithfield is 3,154
    25.67% of Smithfield population is Black

List of 16 cities in Johnston County, NC by Black Population

View Methodology
Rank by Black Population
City
Black Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Johnston County Black Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Clayton 8,064 13.43% 35.97%
1 Clayton 8,064 13.43% 35.97%
2 Zebulon 3,404 18.80% 15.18%
2 Zebulon 3,404 18.80% 15.18%
3 Smithfield 3,154 25.67% 14.07%
4 Selma 3,083 43.18% 13.75%
5 Benson 1,493 15.44% 6.66%
5 1,493 15.44% 6.66%
6 825 26.46% 3.68%
7 700 14.19% 3.12%
7 700 14.19% 3.12%
8 521 19.30% 2.32%
9 351 21.72% 1.57%
10 343 6.60% 1.53%
11 332 13.48% 1.48%
12 149 18.15% 0.66%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks cities in Johnston County, NC by their Black or African American population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines Black Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as Black, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as Black alone, while others identify as Black along with another race (such as Black and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and Black .
  • We’ve used the “Black alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Black population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Black alone or in combination in cities. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Black .
  2. % of Total Johnston County Black Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Black population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Black populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported Black population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Black populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.