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Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month November 2007

To mark this observance, the Census Bureau has culled the following facts from previously released statistics on the American Indian and Alaska Native population.

Population Distribution
Note: The data in this section comes from Census 2000, with the exception of the "Age Distribution" paragraph.

The Nation

4.1 million: The number of U.S. residents who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races in Census 2000. These people made up 1.5 percent of the total population. The 2.5 million who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone represented 0.9 percent of the population.

2.2 million: The increase in the number of people who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races since the 1990 census (when respondents could choose only one race). The rate of increase was 110 percent. The increase in the population who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone was 516,700 or 26 percent.

States

627,600: The number of California residents who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races in Census 2000, making the Golden State the state with the highest number of such people. Oklahoma was next, with 391,900. These two states also ranked first and second in number of residents who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone, with 333,300 and 273,200, respectively.

19%: Percentage of Alaska's population who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races in Census 2000. Alaska led all states, followed by Oklahoma and New Mexico, each at 11 percent, and South Dakota, at 9 percent. Sixteen percent of Alaska's population was American Indian and Alaska Native alone, also tops in the nation, followed by New Mexico (10 percent) and South Dakota and Oklahoma (8 percent each).

Counties and Places

138,700: The number of people in Los Angeles County, Calif., who in Census 2000 reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races, tops among the nation's counties. Maricopa County, Ariz. (75,900), and McKinley County, N.M. (57,100), were second and third, respectively. When it came to the number of people who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone, the order was the same: Los Angeles was first (77,000), followed by Maricopa (56,700) and McKinley (55,900).

95%: Percentage of residents of Shannon County, S.D., who in Census 2000 reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races, the highest percentage of any county in the nation. This county also led the nation in the proportion of residents who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone (94 percent).

87,200: The number of people in New York city who in Census 2000 reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races. New York city led all the nation's cities in this category. Los Angeles was second, with 53,100, followed by Phoenix, 35,100. For the population that reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone, the order was the same, with New York city first (41,300), followed by Los Angeles (29,400) and Phoenix (26,700).

10%: Percentage of Anchorage, Alaska, residents who in Census 2000 reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races. Among cities of 100,000 or more, Anchorage edged out Tulsa, Okla. (8 percent). Other high-ranking cities were Oklahoma City, Okla. (6 percent), Albuquerque, N.M. (5 percent), and Green Bay, Wis. (4 percent). As to the proportion of those who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone, Anchorage led, with 7 percent, followed again by Tulsa (5 percent), Albuquerque (4 percent), Oklahoma City (4 percent) and Green Bay (3 percent).

Note: The data from this point forward comes from sources other than the 2000 Census.

Age Distribution

187,000: The number of American Indians and Alaska Natives who were 65 or over in 2000. This number represented 7 percent of the total American Indian and Alaska Native population nationwide.

Income and Poverty

$31,799: Median household income for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1998-2000 average. This is higher than for African Americans ($28,679), not statistically different from Hispanics ($31,703) and lower than for non-Hispanic Whites ($45,514), and Asians and Pacific Islanders ($52,553).

25.9%: The poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1998-2000 average. This rate was not statistically different from the rates for African Americans and Hispanics, but was higher than those for non-Hispanic Whites, and Asians and Pacific Islanders.

701,000: Number of American Indians and Alaska Natives below the poverty line, based on a 1998-2000 average.

Health Insurance

26.8%: Proportion of American Indians and Alaska Natives lacking health insurance coverage, based on a 1998-2000 average. Their rate is significantly higher than the rates of African Americans (19.5 percent), Asians and Pacific Islanders (18.8 percent) and non-Hispanic Whites (10.1 percent), but lower than that of Hispanics (32.8 percent).

Businesses

197,300: Number of American Indian and Alaska Native-owned businesses in the United States in 1997. These businesses employed 298,700 people and generated $34.3 billion in revenues. They made up 0.9 percent of the nation's 20.8 million non-farm businesses and 6.5 percent of its 3.0 million minority-owned firms.

84%: The increase from 1992 to 1997 in the number of American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firms, excluding C corporations for which prior comparable data are not available. By comparison, the total number of firms in the United States grew 7 percent over this period.

179%: The increase in receipts of American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firms between 1992 and 1997; the increase for all U.S. firms over the same period was 40 percent.

34%: Proportion of all U.S. firms that were owned by American Indians and Alaska Natives in 1997 in four states, California (26,600), Texas (15,700), Oklahoma (15,100) and Florida (10,500).

11%: Proportion of all the firms in Alaska that were owned by American Indians and Alaska Natives in 1997, the highest of any state in the nation.

$174,100: Average receipts of an American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firm in 1997. About 2 percent (4,900) of all American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firms had annual sales of $1 million or more.

27%: Proportion of the nation's American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firms in 1997 whose owners were women.

The preceding facts come from Census 2000, the Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises and the Current Population Survey. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error.

Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month | 2000 Census Facts & Figures
Native American History in the County of Los Angeles Public Library
Genealogy Resources for Native Americans | Web Sites on American Indians