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March 12, 2024
American Indian, Alaska Native, and Tribal Population Data
Overview
original peoples of North and South America (including
Federal agencies collect population data, including on
Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities
community attachment.”
and federally recognized tribes (hereinafter tribes), to
allocate funding and provide services. There is no uniform
In 2020, the Census Bureau counted 9,666,058 people who
definition of AI/AN populations or tribal enrollment, and
identified as AI/AN. This figure includes members of more
federal agencies rely on different sources for these data.
than one racial group. The Census Bureau also allows
This In Focus describes selected AI/AN and tribal
people to list detailed ancestry, origin, and/or tribal
population data sources, differences among these sources,
affiliation; selected groups appear in Table 1.
past collection and reporting practices, current efforts to
improve collection and reporting practices, and possible
Table 1. Self-Reported Affiliation, 2020
congressional policy considerations.
(self-identification by American Indians and Alaska Natives)
Population Data Sources
Group
Population
Tribal Enrollment Data
Cherokee
1,513,326
Tribal enrollment, or membership, is one source of
Aztec
583,981
information on tribal populations. Every tribe generally
determines its own criteria for who is eligible to become a
Navajo Nation
423,412
tribal member, which may include factors such as degree of
Maya
300,519
tribal ancestry. Because tribes are sovereign nations, tribal
membership is a political designation rather than a racial or
Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian
297,899
ethnic classification.
Reservation of Montana
Choctaw
255,557
Many tribes provide enrollment data on their official
websites. Others view enrollment data as proprietary
Alaska Native
241,797
information. Although tribes historically have submitted
Chippewa
130,048
enrollment data to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),
currently, the agency does not publicly report those figures.
Apache
129,589
BIA’s Tribal Service Population Data
Sioux
126,571
BIA calculates the tribal service population to determine
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census, Detailed Demographic
eligibility for its services. The Snyder Act of 1921 (25
and Housing Characteristics File A, Table T01001.
U.S.C. §13) authorizes BIA to operate programs and spend
Notes: This list contains 10 of the largest groupings out of more
federal funds for the benefit and assistance of tribes and
than 1,000 groups such as tribes and vil ages. Individuals may choose
individual tribal members throughout the United States.
to identify as being part of more than one group and when that
BIA determines a tribe’s service population based on the
occurs wil be counted more than once.
tribe’s estimate of all tribal individuals who live on or near
its reservation (25 C.F.R. §20.100). There are about 326
Annual estimates for the overall AI/AN population are
tribal reservations with a total national service population
available from the Census Bureau’s American Community
of nearly 2 million. Currently, tribal service population data
Survey (ACS), a large-scale survey of U.S. households.
are not publicly available below the national level.
Those estimates are available at the national level as well as
for states, congressional districts, and other geographic
U.S. Census Bureau’s AI/AN Data
areas. The decennial census, which provides an actual count
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the decennial
of the AI/AN population and a more granular breakdown by
enumeration of the population required by the Constitution
self-identified tribal affiliation, is next scheduled for 2030.
(Article I, Section 2, Clause 3) and operates other programs
to measure the nation’s people and economy.
Differences Among Data Sources
The data sources described above provide varying
The Census Bureau relies on individual self-identification
population estimates due to a number of factors, including
as AI/AN using the Office of Management and Budget’s
the absence of a statutory definition of AI/AN or tribal
(OMB’s) standardized definitions for racial and ethnic
populations.
categories. OMB currently defines American Indian or
Alaska Native as a “person having origins in any of the
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American Indian, Alaska Native, and Tribal Population Data
For example, the Census Bureau’s figures rely on a
For example, not all tribes may have the resources and
relatively broad definition of AI/AN, while criteria for
trained personnel to collect consistent tribal population data
tribal service area and tribal enrollment may be less
with methodologies that meet federal requirements. Some
inclusive. As a result, Census Bureau statistics may report
tribes also have expressed privacy concerns. Although some
larger populations than tribal enrollment or service
tribes choose to make enrollment figures publicly available,
population data. For example, in 2023 the Cherokee Nation
others have raised concerns that public release against their
reported about 450,000 enrolled tribal members, but more
wishes would harm tribal sovereignty. Some tribes have
than 1.5 million people reported being at least part
also noted that once BIA collects this data, statistics might
Cherokee in the 2020 census.
be obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA,
5 U.S.C. §552) requests.
The Census Bureau allows people to self-report in multiple
racial and ethnic categories. In 2020, 61% of people who
Current Approaches to Improving
identified as AI/AN were also members of at least one other
Collection and Reporting
race (Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian
In P.L. 115-93, Congress transferred the responsibility for
and Other Pacific Islander, White, or Some Other Race).
developing and publishing biennial tribal population reports
Among the 3.7 million AI/AN people who listed no other
from BIA to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). As of
race in the 2020 census, 40% also identified as Hispanic
early 2024, DOL is conducting research and outreach and
(which OMB currently considers an ethnicity, not a race).
has not published a report.
A tribe’s service population may be larger than its enrolled
Some federal agencies are working with tribes to improve
population, because its service population may include
tribal data collection. In 2023, the Department of the
AI/ANs who are not members of that tribe. For example,
Interior led an interagency tribal consultation session on
AI/ANs or members of one tribe may live close to another
federal and tribal data priorities. They discussed collecting
tribe’s reservation and may be counted in that other tribe’s
tribal enrollment data annually, developing a tribal service
service population. This definition of a service population
population dataset, and exploring opportunities to check the
enables services to reach AI/ANs from tribes that are
Census Bureau’s data for tribal affiliation self-identification
landless or live off (but close to) a reservation.
against BIA tribal enrollment data to validate Census data.
The Census Bureau also has committed to working with
However, the service population metric may not fit the
AI/AN stakeholders to develop new statistical products.
circumstances of some tribes, leading to inconsistent data.
For example, only tribes with reservations can report their
Options for Congress
service populations, and many tribes and Alaska Natives do
As part of its oversight and legislative role, Congress may
not have reservations. Therefore, this dataset likely
consider assessing the accuracy and suitability of federal
inadequately accounts for those groups. In addition, some
agency methodologies for measuring and serving tribal
Oklahoma-based tribes’ service areas are based on the
and/or AI/AN populations.
tribes’ historic reservations, which are larger than most
current reservations.
For example, Congress may be interested in ensuring
consistent AI/AN and tribal data collection and use across
Past Approaches to Collection
federal agencies. If this is a priority, Congress may consider
and Reporting
defining AI/AN or tribal membership for the purpose of
From 1982 to 2013, BIA released a generally biennial
population data collection. This definition could be based
American Indian Population and Labor Force Report that
on geography, race, tribal enrollment, or some combination.
collected and reported AI/AN and certain tribal population
data based on a range of data sources, including BIA field
Alternatively, Congress may be interested in using different
offices, tribes, and the Census Bureau. According to BIA,
datasets depending on its priorities. For example, if
collecting reliable data for the biennial report was
Congress is interested in benefiting certain AI/AN
challenging. Some tribes reported confusion over whom to
populations or tribes, it could consider specifying the use of
include in their service populations, and concerns were
certain AI/AN and tribal datasets. For example, BIA
raised about the accuracy and consistency of the data.
traditionally has collected and used service population data
to allocate funding, and some tribes believe this should
Many tribes and other stakeholders also raised concerns
continue because it is a relatively inclusive method. On the
about BIA’s publications. For example, some assert that
other hand, some tribes have suggested that BIA use a
using Census Bureau estimates is inappropriate because
methodology that incorporates not only enrollment but also
they come with margins of error that can be sizable when
the relative costs of addressing tribal needs, which could
working with relatively small populations. Alternatively,
ensure that small tribes receive greater funding to achieve
some recommend using administrative data already
community objectives.
collected by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. Other tribes and tribal
Ben Leubsdorf, Research Librarian
groups recommend using data provided by tribes.
Mariel J. Murray, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
Nik Taylor, Senior Research Librarian
Considering these challenges, some tribes have asked
federal agencies to use tribal enrollment data. However, use
IF12612
of tribal enrollment data raises a number of considerations.
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American Indian, Alaska Native, and Tribal Population Data
Disclaimer
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