Essential hypertension is a common disorder with potentially life-threatening sequelae. Hypertension among black persons may have characteristics different from hypertension among white persons. It has been estimated that up to 60% of population variance in blood pressure may be attributable to genetic differences. We studied the distribution of HLA antigens in 100 black hypertensives and 100 normotensive controls. Hypertension was not significantly associated with any of the 25 HLA antigens identified. We conclude that HLA-A and HLA-B locus antigens are not associated with essential hypertension in the black patient.