Native American Statistics

Utah is among 19 states in which the American Indian population exceeds the U.S. proportion of 1.5 percent, and among four Southwestern states in which American Indians make up the majority of the population in certain counties, according to U.S. Census figures released today.  The figures from the 2000 Census also show that the number of Indians is increasing at a faster rate than the overall U.S. population, and the majority of Indians live in the West. 

Phoenix has the highest proportion of American Indians among the top 10 cities in the nation.  But increasing urbanization doesn’t necessarily mean Indians are losing touch with their ancestral homelands and cultures, a leading Indian academician said Tuesday.  A Census 2000 summary released today shows that the population of 35,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives within the city limits of Phoenix represents an Indian component of 2.7 percent. No count was available for other areas of the Valley. 

Although the American Indian Population and Labor Force Report is federally mandated to be released no less frequently than biennally, the last report was released in 2007, with figures based on 2005. However, an updated report is supposed to be released this year.

These figures are based on tribes in the lower 48 states, only, who have at least 1,000 tribal members, of which at least 500 are unemployed. According to the 2005 figures, fifteen tribes have staggering unemployment rates exceeding 80%.

The Northwest and West Coast states, whose traditional tribal lands include some of the most ethnically diverse cultures in the United States, have very little ethnic representation in state government. 

A new study released by Amnesty indicates native american and alaskan native women are raped three times more often than non native women. In Anchorage, the rate is an astounding ten times higher for native alaskan women.