Since 2000, the Black population in the United States has grown by about 30 percent to roughly 47 million people, becoming more diverse through immigration, multiracial identity, and rising college attainment. Faith communities, especially the Black church, remain central to Black life even as younger generations are more likely to be religiously unaffiliated.

Why This Matters for the AP African American Studies Exam

This topic helps you analyze continuity and change in Black communities in the present day. You can use data from Pew Research Center sources to describe demographic shifts and explain how the unifying term "Black" holds together many ancestries, cultures, and histories. When you analyze sources or build arguments on the AP African American Studies exam, you can use this material to show how Black identity is diverse rather than monolithic, and how religious institutions have shaped activism, education, and community life. These ideas also connect to earlier units on the Black church, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights movement, which makes them useful for causation and comparison.

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Key Takeaways

Between 2000 and 2019, the Black-identifying population grew by about 30 percent to roughly 47 million people, nearly 14 percent of the United States population.
The number of Black college degree holders has more than doubled since 2000.
Black immigration has nearly doubled since 2000, driven mainly by people from Africa and the Caribbean, increasing cultural and linguistic diversity.
"Black" is a unifying term that includes African Americans descended from enslaved people, recent immigrants who may identify by race and nationality, and people who identify as multiracial.
Two-thirds of Black adults identify as Protestant, while about 20 percent are religiously unaffiliated, and younger adults are less likely to be Protestant.
Black religious leaders and the Black church have shaped civil rights work, social justice advocacy, education, and community building.

Growth and Diversity of the Black Population Since 2000

Black communities in the United States have grown and diversified since 2000. The Black-identifying population increased by about 30 percent to approximately 47 million people, which is nearly 14 percent of the country. Growth came from higher educational attainment, more immigration, and an increase in people who identify as multiracial or as Black and Hispanic.

More College Degree Holders

The number of Black adults with college degrees has more than doubled since 2000. This reflects expanded access to higher education and a long push for educational advancement in Black communities. Disparities in completion rates still exist, which keeps systemic barriers part of the conversation.

Rise in Black Immigration

The number of Black immigrants in the United States has nearly doubled since 2000, driven mainly by immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. This shift has added cultural and linguistic diversity to Black communities. As the population grows, more people also identify as Black and Hispanic or as multiracial.

Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jamaica, and Haiti are examples of common countries of origin for Black immigrants. Treat specific countries as examples that illustrate the trend, not as required names for this topic.

What "Black" Includes

The term "Black" points to shared African heritage and shared experiences, but it covers people with very different ancestries, histories, and cultures:

African Americans: descendants of people enslaved in the United States, who may use "African American" to emphasize that history.
Recent immigrants: people who may identify by both race and nationality, such as "Afro-Colombian."
Multiracial individuals: people with significant Black and white or other ancestry who identify as multiracial.

This range is why scholars describe Black identity in the United States as diverse rather than single or fixed.

Religion and Faith in Black Communities

Religion remains a powerful force in Black communities, shaping values, education, and activism, even as affiliation patterns change.

Religious Affiliation Trends

In the early twenty-first century, two-thirds of Black adults identify as Protestant, while about 20 percent do not affiliate with any religion. Younger Black adults are less likely to be Protestant and more likely to be unaffiliated than older generations. This generational shift is one of the clearest patterns in the Pew data for this topic.

Black religious leaders and faith communities have played substantial roles in civil rights and social justice advocacy. They have mobilized congregations to act on political and social issues, including issues beyond those that directly affect Black communities.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s faith-based leadership in the Civil Rights movement is a well-known example of this role. Use figures like this as examples of the pattern rather than as required content for this specific topic.

The Black Church as an Institution

The Black church has served as an institutional home for developing and debating core values in Black communities. That includes values tied to education, community improvement, race relations, cultural practices, vernacular, and connections to the broader African diaspora. Even as affiliation shifts, these institutions continue to shape community life and organizing.

Required Sources

"The Growing Diversity of Black America" by Christine Tamir, Pew Research Center, 2021

This Pew Research Center report documents the demographic shifts that make Black America more diverse. It tracks population growth, immigration, multiracial identification, and self-identification patterns, and it pushes back on the idea of a single, uniform Black identity.

Full text: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/03/25/the-growing-diversity-of-black-america/

Key points to know:

The U.S. Black population rose to about 46.8 million in 2019, up from about 36.2 million in 2000.
Most identify as Black alone and non-Hispanic, while smaller shares identify as Black and another race or as Black Hispanic.
A growing share of the Black population is foreign born, with the large majority of Black immigrants coming from African or Caribbean countries.
Educational attainment rose, with about 23 percent of Black adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher in 2019, up from about 15 percent in 2000.
The population skews young, with a large share under 38.

When you analyze this source, focus on how the numbers support the claim that Black identity is diverse and changing.

"Young Black Adults Less Protestant than Their Elders," Pew Research Center, 2021

This Pew Research Center study shows how religious affiliation among Black adults is shifting across generations. Younger Black adults are less likely to be Protestant and more likely to be religiously unaffiliated, which signals broader changes in spiritual practice and identity.

Full text: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/religious-affiliation-and-congregations/

Key points to know:

About two-thirds of Black adults identify as Protestant, a small share are Catholic, and roughly one in five are religiously unaffiliated.
Younger Black adults are less likely to be Protestant and more likely to be unaffiliated or attend diverse congregations.
Worship in predominantly Black churches often includes call and response, spontaneous physical expression, gospel choirs, and longer services.
When choosing a congregation, Black Americans tend to prioritize a welcoming atmosphere and inspiring sermons over denomination or racial composition.

Use this source to support claims about religious diversity and generational change, and avoid treating Black religious life as one fixed pattern.

How to Use This on the AP African American Studies Exam

Using Sources Effectively

Both required sources are Pew Research Center reports, so practice reading data and turning it into clear claims. Identify the trend, name the specific numbers, and explain what the trend shows about diversity or change. For example, link the rise in Black immigration to greater cultural and linguistic diversity, or link younger adults' lower Protestant affiliation to generational change.

Building Arguments

When you make an argument, use this topic to show that Black identity is diverse rather than monolithic. Strong responses connect demographic facts to a larger claim, such as how immigration and multiracial identity reshape what "Black" includes, or how the Black church continues to anchor education and activism.

Continuity and Change

This topic works well for continuity and change reasoning. Religion stays influential (continuity), but affiliation patterns shift across generations (change). You can pair this with earlier material on the Black church, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights movement to show longer patterns.

Common Trap

Do not flatten the data. Saying "all Black Americans are Protestant" or "Black identity means one shared culture" misses the point of this topic, which is internal diversity and change.

Common Misconceptions

"Black" and "African American" mean exactly the same thing. "Black" is a broad term covering many ancestries and histories. "African American" often refers specifically to descendants of people enslaved in the United States, and many Black immigrants identify by race and nationality instead.
Black communities are religiously uniform. Two-thirds of Black adults are Protestant, but about 20 percent are unaffiliated, and younger adults are trending away from Protestant identity.
Religious disaffiliation means the Black church has lost its importance. The Black church remains a major institution for education, organizing, and community values even as affiliation shifts.
Most Black population growth comes from a single source. Growth reflects multiple factors, including higher educational attainment, immigration mainly from Africa and the Caribbean, and increases in multiracial and Black Hispanic identity.
The numbers are interchangeable across sources. Pew reports give slightly different figures depending on the year and method, so cite the trend and the approximate numbers accurately rather than forcing exact matches.

Vocabulary

The following words are mentioned explicitly in the College Board Course and Exam Description for this topic.

Term	Definition
African American	An ethnonym used to describe descendants of Africans who were enslaved in the United States and their descendants.
African diaspora	The dispersal and communities of people of African descent throughout the world, particularly resulting from the transatlantic slave trade and subsequent migration.
African heritage	The cultural, historical, and ancestral connections to Africa and African traditions maintained by African Americans.
Black church	A central African American religious institution that has historically served as a gathering place for spiritual practice, community organizing, and cultural preservation.
Black college degree holders	African American individuals who have completed a bachelor's degree or higher level of education at a college or university.
Black immigrants	People of African descent who have migrated to the United States from other countries, particularly from Africa and the Caribbean.
Black religious leaders	Clergy and spiritual figures within African American faith communities who provide guidance and mobilize their congregations on social and political issues.
civil rights advocacy	The organized effort by religious and community leaders to promote equal rights and social justice for African Americans.
ethnonym	A name or term used to identify a particular ethnic group or people.
faith communities	Groups of people united by shared religious beliefs and practices that serve as institutions for spiritual and social support.
multiracial	Individuals who identify with two or more racial or ethnic groups.
Protestant	A member of a Christian denomination that originated from the Reformation and is separate from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
social justice advocacy	The mobilization of communities and institutions to address systemic inequalities and promote equitable treatment and opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

How has the Black population in the United States changed since 2000?

Between 2000 and 2019, the Black-identifying population grew by about 30 percent to roughly 47 million people, nearly 14 percent of the U.S. population.

Is Black a race or ethnicity?

In this topic, Black is treated as a broad unifying term tied to shared African heritage and shared experiences. It includes people with diverse ancestries, national origins, ethnic identities, and multiracial identities.

How has Black immigration changed since 2000?

The number of Black immigrants in the United States has nearly doubled since 2000, driven mainly by immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean.

How has Black educational attainment changed since 2000?

Since 2000, the number of Black college degree holders has more than doubled. This is one major sign of demographic and social change in contemporary Black communities.

What role does the Black church play in Black communities?

The Black church has served as an institutional home for education, community improvement, race relations, cultural practices, vernacular, diaspora connections, and social justice advocacy.

How are Black religious affiliation patterns changing?

In the early twenty-first century, about two-thirds of African American adults identify as Protestant, while about 20 percent are unaffiliated. Younger Black adults are less likely to be Protestant than older adults.