NOV. 2, 2016 — The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state to get endorsements from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994, and we now refer to this celebration as “American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.” This Facts for Features presents statistics for American Indians and Alaska Natives, as this is one of the six major race categories classified by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

“My Tribal Area” App: Preview the U.S. Census Bureau’s new interactive web tool that provides easy access to tribal and reservation data. My Tribal Area gives demographic and economic statistics, including data on population, jobs, housing, economy and education, on our nation’s 618 tribal areas using statistics from the American Community Survey. The full launch of the application is tentatively scheduled for this winter.

You can use the feedback form that's available in the app to provide comments and suggestions. An updated release scheduled this winter will make My Tribal Area even more comprehensive, with map images and descriptive legends for each tribal area, as well as estimates that include the years 2011 to 2015. The full launch of the application is tentatively scheduled for this winter.

10.2 million

The projected American Indian and Alaska Native population, alone or in combination, on July 1, 2060. They would constitute 2.4 percent of the total population.

559,796

The American Indian and Alaska Native population, alone or in combination, age 65 and over, on July 1, 2015.

21

The number of states with 100,000 or more American Indian and Alaska Native residents, alone or in combination, in 2015. These states were California, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New York, New Mexico, Washington, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Colorado, Alaska, Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin and New Jersey.

19.5%

The percentage of Alaska’s population identified as American Indian and Alaska Native, alone or in combination, in 2015, the highest share for this race group of any state. Alaska was followed by Oklahoma (13.6 percent), New Mexico (11.8 percent), South Dakota (10.3 percent) and Montana (8.3 percent).

30.2

The median age for those who were American Indian and Alaska Native, alone or in combination, in 2015. This compares with a median age of 37.8 for the U.S. population as a whole.

326

The number of federally recognized American Indian reservations in 2016, including federal reservations and off-reservation trust land. Excluding Hawaiian Home Lands, the Census Bureau provides statistics for 631 American Indian and Alaska Native legal and statistical areas.

567

The number of federally recognized Indian tribes in 2016.

1,792,840

The number of American Indian and Alaska Native households in 2015 (households with a householder who was American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with another race). Of these, 38.1 percent were married-couple families, including those with children.

5.7%

The percentage of American Indians and Alaska Natives, alone or in combination with other races, age 30 and over, who were grandparents living with at least one of their grandchildren in 2015.

53.1%

The percentage of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native householders who owned their own home in 2015. This is compared with 63.0 percent of the overall population.

27.1%

The percentage of single-race American Indians and Alaska Natives age 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home in 2015, compared with 21.5 percent for the nation as a whole.

82.7%

The percentage of the American Indian and Alaska Native population, alone or in combination, age 25 and older that had at least a high school diploma, GED certificate or alternative credential in 2014. In addition, 19.1 percent obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. In comparison, 87.1 percent of the overall population age 25 and older had a high school diploma or higher, and 30.6 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

41.3%

The percentage of single-race American Indians and Alaska Natives age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher whose degree was in science and engineering, or science and engineering-related fields in 2015. This compares with 44.1 percent for all people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher in science and engineering, or science and engineering-related fields in 2015.

14.1%

The percentage of single-race American Indians and Alaska Natives age 25 and older who had a bachelor’s, graduate or professional degree in 2015.

26,757

The estimated number of American Indian and Alaska Native-owned employer firms in 2014.

26.4%

The percentage of civilian-employed, single-race American Indian and Alaska Native people, age 16 and older who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations in 2015. In addition, 23.9 percent worked in service occupations and 23.4 percent in sales and office occupations. There is no statistically significant difference between the percentage who worked in service occupations and the percentage who worked in office occupations.

130,802

The number of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native veterans of the U.S. armed forces in 2015.

$38,530

The median household income of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native households in 2015. This compares with $55,775 for the nation as a whole.

26.6%

The percentage of single-race American Indians and Alaska Natives who were in poverty in 2015, the highest rate of any race group. For the nation as a whole, the poverty rate was 14.7 percent.

20.7%

The percentage of single-race American Indians and Alaska Natives who lacked health insurance coverage in 2015. For the nation as a whole, the corresponding percentage was 9.4 percent.