American Indian Census

American Indian & Alaska Native Growth 39% in Decade; 78% Live Away from Tribal Lands

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Currents. Discussion »

WASHINGTON - Today the US Census Bureau held the "Profile America Forum on the American Indian and Alaska Native Population" where it released the latest data available on American Indians and Alaska Natives at the National Museum of the American Indian.

5,200,000 Native People Counted

The numbers are what were filled out when the Census was conducted in 2010. Census data is collected every ten years.

From the data presented two numbers stuck out: the population of the American Indians and Alaska Natives grew by 39 percent during the decade and 78 percent of the population live away from tribal lands.

Overall, 5.2 million people, or 1.7 percent of all people in the United States, identified as American Indian and Alaska Native, either alone or in combination with one or more races. This population grew by 27 percent from 2000 to 2010. Those who reported being American Indian and Alaska Native alone totaled 2.9 million, an increase of 18 percent from 2000 to 2010. The multiple race American Indian and Alaska Native population, as well as both the alone and alone-or-in-combination populations, all grew at a faster rate than the total United States population, which increased by 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010.

“I am invisible and statistically insignificant,”

Colin Kippen, Executive Director
National Indian Education Association

stated Colin Kippen, who is executive director of the National Indian Education Association in jest, but said his comment really is meaningful depending on what is done with data from the census numbers released today.

“There continue to be issues out there when it comes to the accuracy of census numbers,”

said Dr. Malia Villegas, Alutiiq/Sugpiag, director of the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center.

"Particularly, when it comes to American Indian and Alaska Native youth, who are transient. They are very mobile and they may not have contributed to the Census."

"So often there is a problem with the numbers. We are not consulted with on what it's being used for, how it's being used and where it's being used relating to our population."

Said Colin Kippen

After the data was released a panel discussed the data. There was much discussion on the accuracy surrounding the data.

posted January 26, 2012 6:57 am est