CB02-FF.17
October 21, 2002
American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month:
November 2002
To mark this observance, the Census Bureau has culled the following facts from its censuses and surveys on the American Indian and Alaska Native population.
Population Total
4.1 million
The number of people who reported as American Indian and Alaska Native alone
or in combination with one or more races in Census 2000. They made up 1.5
percent of the total population. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
3.1 million
Among all people who reported American Indian and Alaska Native either alone
or in combination with one or more other races in Census 2000, the number
who identified themselves as belonging to a specific tribe. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
- American Indian tribes with 50,000 or more individuals were Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Muscogee, Apache and Lumbee, according to Census 2000. Cherokee was easily the largest, with 697,400 people reporting Cherokee alone or in combination with one or more other races or tribes. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t18.html>
- Census 2000 showed that Tlingit was the most populous Alaska Native tribe,
as 17,200 respondents reported Tlingit alone or in combination with one or
more other races or American Indian or Alaska Native tribes. Other Alaska Native
tribes with 5,000 or more responses were Alaska Athabascan, Eskimo and Yupi'ik.
<http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t18.html>
Income
$32,116
Median household income for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based
on a 1999-2001 average derived from the 2000, 2001 and 2002 annual demographic
supplements to the Current Population Survey. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-124.html>
(Note: The data in the Families, Population Distribution and Homeownership sections pertain to the population who reported American Indian and Alaska Native alone, as well as those who reported American Indian and Alaska Native and at least one other race.)
Families
936,000
Number of American Indian and Alaska Native families at the time of
Census 2000. Of these:
- 585,000, or 63 percent, consisted of married couples.
- 526,000, or 56 percent, included own children under 18.
- 310,000, or 33 percent, were married couples with their own children under 18. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Population Distribution
Nation
- Census 2000 was the first census in which respondents had the option of
choosing more than one race. People who chose American Indian and Alaska
Native alone in 2000 showed an increase of 516,700, or 26 percent, since
1990. However, if the population who chose American Indian and at least one
other race is added, the result is an increase of 2.2 million, or 110 percent.
By comparison, the total U.S. population grew by 13 percent.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html> - According to Census 2000, 43 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives lived in the West, 31 percent in the South, 17 percent in the Midwest and 9 percent in the Northeast.<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
538,300
Number of American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations or other
trust lands at the time of Census 2000. Of this number, 175,200 resided on
the Navajo Nation reservation and trust lands, which span portions of Arizona,
New Mexico and Utah. This was by far the most populous reservation or other
trust land. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
States
11
The number of states with more than 100,000 American Indian and Alaska
Native residents, according to Census 2000. California (628,000) and Oklahoma
(392,000) had the largest populations, followed by Arizona, Texas, New Mexico,
New York, Washington, North Carolina, Michigan, Alaska and Florida. Combined,
these states accounted for 62 percent of the total American Indian and Alaska
Native population, but only 44 percent of the total population.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
19
Number of states where the American Indian and Alaska Native population as
a proportion of the total population exceeded the national average of 1.5
percent, according to Census 2000. Alaska (19 percent), Oklahoma (11 percent)
and New Mexico (10 percent) had the highest rates. The other 16 states included
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming in the West; Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South
Dakota in the Midwest; and North Carolina in the South. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
Counties and Places
786
Number of counties where the proportion of the population that reported
in Census 2000 that they were American Indian or Alaska Native met or exceeded
the national average of 1.5 percent. All but seven states contained at least
one such county. (There are 3,141 counties or county equivalents in the United
States.) <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
26
Number of counties across the country where American Indians and Alaska Natives
were in the majority, according to Census 2000. These counties were concentrated
in northern and western Alaska; in the Four Corners area (where the boundaries
of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet); and in the Great Plains
states of South Dakota, Montana and North Dakota. Nebraska and Wisconsin
each contained one such county, also.<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
87,200
The number of people in New York City who in Census 2000 reported as American
Indian and Alaska Native. New York City led all the nation's cities in this
category. Los Angeles was second, with 53,100; followed by Phoenix (35,100);
Tulsa, Okla. (30,200); and Oklahoma City, Okla. (29,000). <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
10
Percentage of Anchorage, Alaska, residents who in Census 2000 reported as American
Indian and Alaska Native. Among cities of 100,000 or more, Anchorage edged
out Tulsa, Okla. (8 percent). <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn56.html>
Age Distribution
28.7
The median age of the American Indian and Alaska Native population at the time
of Census 2000, meaning one-half were above this midpoint and one-half below.
The median age for the total U.S. population was 35.3 years. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Number of American Indians and Alaska Natives age 65 and over, according to Census 2000. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Business
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
nonfarm businesses and 6.5 percent of its 3.0 million minority-owned firms. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-87.html>
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-115.html>
$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. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-87.html>
Education
11
Among people age 25 and over who said American Indian and Alaska Native was
their only race, the percentage who had a bachelor's degree or higher at
the time of Census 2000. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
71
Among people age 25 and over who said American Indian and Alaska Native was
their only race, the percentage who had at least a high school diploma at
the time of Census 2000. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Homeownership
Census 2000 showed that the American Indian and Alaska Native homeownership rate - the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native households owning their own home - was 55 percent. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Serving Our Nation
195,871
Number of civilian veterans in Census 2000 who said American Indian and Alaska
Native was their only race. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Poverty
24.5
The poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1999-2001
average. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-124.html>
800,000
Number of American Indians and Alaska Natives below the poverty line, based
on a 1999-2001 national average. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-124.html>
The preceding facts come from Census 2000, the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous 2002 Census Bureau Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Women's History Month (March), St. Patrick's Day (March 17), Census Bureau Centennial (March 6), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May), Older Americans Month (May), Mother's Day (May 12), Father's Day (June 16), the Fourth of July, 12th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26), Back to School (August), Labor Day (Sept. 2), Grandparents Day (Sept. 8), Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and Halloween (Oct. 31). Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office: telephone: (301) 763-3030; fax: (301) 457-3670; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.