The poly‐T alleles at the TOMM40‐’523 locus are in linkage disequilibrium with APOE alleles (E3 and E4). However, the pattern of this association varies across race and may influence cognition over time. Contrary to those who identify as non‐Hispanic White, few studies have investigated the role of APOE‐‘523 genotypes in the Black population. Thus, the goal of our study was to investigate the impact of APOE and TOMM40‐‘523 haplotypes on cognitive decline in non‐demented non‐Hispanic Black (NHB) participants, and determine whether effects differ from non‐Hispanic White (NHW) participants.