Native American Heritage Guide

Native American Heritage Month

More than 100 reporters working at Indigenous outlets cover tribal governments

9.7 million Native Americans live in the U.S.

They live across more than 150 tribal groupings, such as Navajo and Cherokee.

Tribal governments represent and make laws for those Native Americans that live on reservations or trust lands.

In our research, we were able to identify 134 reporters at 44 different outlets that cover tribal governments, representing 29 different tribal groupings

Note: 9.7 million includes all American Indians and Alaska Natives alone or in combination with one or more other ethnicities. 22% of Native Americans live on tribal reservations or trust lands, according to the 2010 census, the most recent data available. See the Methodology section for more details.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 and 2010 census; Pew Research Center data collected Nov. 8, 2021-March 11, 2022.

"Total Number of U.S. Statehouse Reporters Rises, but Fewer Are on the Beat Full Time" PEW Research Center