THIS EXTENSIVE SURVEY OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO POPULATION IS BASED ON DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION DERIVED FROM CENSUS DATA. ALTHOUGH THE CATEGORY "NEGRO" IS ARBITRARY, IT IS FELT TO BE A SUFFICIENTLY PRACTICAL TERM FOR ESTABLISHING SOCIAL IDENTITY. THE HISTORICAL GROWTH AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE NEGROES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE TRACED FROM THEIR ARRIVAL IN VIRGINIA IN 1619 AS SLAVES THROUGH THEIR SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT WESTWARD THROUGH THE SOUTHERN STATES AND INTO THE NORTH. THE MAJOR NORTHWARD MIGRATION FOLLOWING EMANCIPATION BEGAN ABOUT 1915 BECAUSE OF THE "PUSH-PULL" FACTORS OF AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION IN THE SOUTH AND INDUSTRIAL MANPOWER NEEDS IN THE NORTH. URBANIZATION AND METROPOLITANIZATION TRENDS FOR BOTH THE NEGRO AND THE GENERAL POPULATION ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF REGIONAL MIGRATION, SUBURBANIZATION, AND URBAN RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION. ONE SECTION OF THE ARTICLE IS DEVOTED TO HOUSING AND HOMEOWNERSHIP. ANOTHER PART DESCRIBES THE VARIETY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS FACED BY NEGROES--POOR EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, LOW OCCUPATIONAL AND INCOME STATUS, FAMILY AND FERTILITY PATTERNS, AND MORTALITY AND HEALTH. COMPARISONS OF NEGROES AND WHITES ARE MADE THROUGHOUT THIS SURVEY. THE DATA ARE PRESENTED IN 12 FIGURES AND 23 TABLES. A BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY ACCOMPANIES THE ARTICLE. THIS ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED IN DAVIS, JOHN P., ED. THE AMERICAN NEGRO REFERENCE BOOK. ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., PRENTICE-HALL, C1966. P. 96-160. (NH)