United States › District of Columbia
District of Columbia (county equivalent)
285,810 Black residents · 41.4% of the District · the District as its own county equivalent
The District of Columbia is a single geography that the Census Bureau counts at three levels at once: it is a state equivalent, a county equivalent, and a place. This entry is its county-level record. In the 2020 Census the District held 689,545 residents in all, of whom 285,810 — 41.4% — were Black alone.
Civic Snapshot
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total population, 2020 | 689,545 |
| Black residents (alone), 2020 | 285,810 |
| Black share of the District, 2020 | 41.4% |
| County equivalents in the District | 1 — the District itself |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Redistricting File (Public Law 94-171), Table P1 (race). Trend: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting File (Public Law 94-171), Table P1.
Population Trend
The published record across two censuses for District of Columbia: 305,125 Black residents in 2010, 285,810 in 2020 — declined by 6.3% over the decade, with the Black share of the whole moving from 50.7% to 41.4%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Redistricting File (Public Law 94-171), Table P1 (race). Trend: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting File (Public Law 94-171), Table P1.
The Record
Every other geography in this edition sits inside a state; the District stands alone, and its county-equivalent record is the same count as its state record, because the two are one geography. The gazetteer carries the entry at this level so the county series is complete: 565 county entries, the District among them on its own terms.
Institutions
The institutions of Black Washington are carried in the place entry for the District in this gazetteer, where the city's congregations, schools, businesses, and civic organizations belong. This county-level page is the frame around that entry: 689,545 residents in all, 285,810 of them Black, and the District's direction across the last two censuses.