Visualizing the South is designed to build shared understanding of the region.
By mapping outcomes, highlighting patterns, and creating interactive dashboards, Visualizing the South presents the region as more than a collection of deficits and a place of community, local strength, and real opportunity for progress.
This dashboard looks at Black population per capita across the United States—at the county, state, Census division, and regional levels to help make visible where Black communities are most concentrated and how that changes depending on scale. The dashboard also makes clear that investing in the Black community means investing in the South.
At the county level, the picture is striking. In the typical U.S. county, Black residents make up only about 2.2% of the population. But that “typical” county hides a wide range of experiences. In some counties, Black residents make up nearly 86% of the population. Seeing these differences on a map helps show just how unevenly Black communities are distributed—and why percentages matter, not just raw population counts (American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024).
As you zoom out from counties to states and regions, a broader pattern comes into focus: the South plays a central role in Black America. The 12 states in SEAP’s service area are home to about 17.6 million Black residents, or roughly 43% of the U.S. Black population. In the regional view of the map, the South stands out clearly, reflecting both history and present-day demographics.
Several Southern states have Black population shares well above the national average of 12.2%. In Mississippi, more than a third of residents are Black. Georgia and Louisiana also have Black population shares above 30%. These patterns are not limited to a single county or city. They span entire states and regions, shaping local economies, institutions, and community life.
The dashboard also shows why it’s helpful to look at the data in more than one way. Maps showing percent Black highlight places where Black residents make up a large share of the local community, including many rural counties across the South. Population counts, available in the table view, show where the largest numbers of people live, often in metropolitan areas. Together, these views help tell a fuller story about both representation and scale.
By showing where Black communities are most concentrated, and how that changes depending on geography, this dashboard offers a clearer, more grounded starting point for place-based decision-making and investment. The takeaway is simple: supporting progress in the South is deeply connected to supporting progress in Black communities.
