The overall African American population in the St. Louis region is on the rise. New U.S. Census data estimates more than 466,000 Black people are living in the area, up from about 464,000 last year.
The region’s Black population did not show a loss in residents for the first time in recent years. This small increase is a plus for the region because it suggests population stability.
“We should be excited that the decline is not present in the data,” said Ness Sandoval, a demographer at St. Louis University. “We hope we see a larger increase slowly, but it's going to be difficult.”
The American Community Survey data shows that the majority of the Black population is in St. Charles County and St. Louis County combined. There are about 238,000 Black residents in St. Louis County, up from about 232,000 last year. St. Charles County has about 20,000 Black people in the area, which is an increase of over 2,000 people since last year.
Ongoing population decline
However, the city of St. Louis is seeing a decline in its Black residents. In 2022, there were about 120,000 in the city. It’s decreased to 113,000. But this trend is not new. Over the years the city has been losing its Black residents to other counties in the metropolitan area or to other cities across the country.
The white population in the city is also declining but more slowly. Last year it was about 129,000 white people living in the area, now there are close to 127,000 white residents. Demographers are concerned with this trend because they say the gap between the white and Black populations in the city will continue widening.
Sandoval said families and children are leaving the city because of its many challenges.
“I don't think I ever could have imagined [St. Louis’] Black population being smaller than 100,000, but we're on track to seeing this within this decade,” he said. “We need to think about what's happening in the city and how to think about it differently.”
He said growing regions need stable Black, foreign-born and Hispanic populations to be considered top metro areas. For the St. Louis region to compete with places like Charlotte, Nashville or Orlando, the area needs to gain at least 25,000 people every year.
Housing challenges
Competing cities also have their challenges with housing shortages, lack of public school funding and violence. Delecia Lacy, president of the St. Louis chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, said Black families face systemic issues while looking for housing, and this keeps them out of certain homes in St. Louis and St. Louis County.
“Why we are starting to really see [a population decline] is because we've had an inventory issue, a massive affordable housing issue and a vacancy issue for quite a while now,” she said. “Unfortunately, our county and city management haven't really addressed it effectively in the past 10 or 15 years, and it’s a domino effect when it comes to people of color.”
Area Black Realtors suggest elected officials create down payment incentive programs that encourage people to live in areas they choose and offer financial and homeownership programs to get young people excited about owning a home instead of renting.
Some Black families are just now getting to the point where they can qualify for federal loans, but Lacy said Black people need to qualify for conventional loans because many of the homes in St. Louis need repairs. However, she said a majority of Black St. Louisans cannot qualify for this loan because it requires a higher credit score, a lower debt-to-income ratio and a strong financial background.
“At the price point that we (African Americans) can afford, the homes need work,” she said. “So until we address truly our inventory and vacancy issue as a city … we're going to keep seeing the struggle in St. Louis as a whole.”
