African Americans in Iowa

The African American population in Iowa has increased significantly over the years. In 1980, African Americans accounted for 1.4% of the state's total population, while in 2021, they make up 4.3% of the population. The percentage change in the African American population from 1980 to 2021 reflects this growth.

Iowa's initial African-American inhabitants were individuals who were enslaved and unlawfully brought to the state by European Americans during the 1830s. Some African-Americans also migrated independently to Iowa in order to flee from slavery. By the 1840s, a number of them arrived to labor in the lead mines of Dubuque. In the river communities of Burlington, Davenport, Keokuk, and Sioux City, they found employment as deckhands on vessels navigating the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.