The Pine Ridge Reservation serves as the home to an entire Native American population living in conditions equivalent to those found among the poorest third world countries. Left in the wake of a terrible absence of resources, members of the Lakota Sioux Tribe are left feeling broken, hopeless and unimportant. Mostly unknown or forgotten by mainstream society, the average U.S. resident knows little, if anything, about the true history and current state of the Native American Indians. The below statistics and facts chronicle just one nation, the Lakota Sioux of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
The population of the Pine Ridge Reservation is 18,834.
At 11,000-square miles, the Pine Ridge Reservation is the second largest Native American Reservation in the U.S.
Alcoholism affects eight out of 10 families, contributing to a death rate that is 300 percent higher than the remaining U.S. population.
97 percent of the population lives far below the U.S. federal poverty line with a median household income ranging between $2,600 and $3,500 per year.
Pine Ridge Reservation has no industry, technology or commercial infrastructure to provide employment for its residents, contributing to its 90 percent unemployment rate.
There is a 70 percent high school dropout rate.
The average life expectancy on the Reservation is 47 years for men and 52 years for women.
The teenage suicide rate is 150 percent higher than the U.S. national average.
The infant mortality rate is the highest on this continent, and about 300 percent higher than the U.S. national average.
Nearly 50 percent of the adults on the Reservation over the age of 40 have diabetes.
The tuberculosis rate on the Reservation is approximately 800 percent higher than the national average, with cervical cancer not far behind at 500 percent higher than average.
There is an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home, a home that may only have two to three rooms.
There are no banks, motels, discount stores or movie theaters and the one grocery store of moderate size is tasked with providing for the entire community.
Over 33 percent of homes have no electricity or basic water and sewage systems, forcing many to carry (often contaminated) water from local rivers daily for their personal needs.
At least 60 percent of homes on the Reservation need to be demolished and replaced due to infestation of potentially fatal black mold, however, there are no insurance or government programs to assist families in replacing their homes.
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Verified and accurate statistics can be hard to come by here on the reservation, and only paint a partial picture of the realities endured by the residents of the communities on Pine Ridge.
The Pine Ridge Reservation occupies the entirety of Oglala Lakota (formerly Shannon) County, the southern half of Jackson County and Bennett County. The total land area of the Reservation is 2.1 million acres, with 1.7 million acres held in trust by the United States government. By land area, the reservation is the seventh-largest in the country.
The Pine Ridge Reservation is home to the lowest life expectancy, and a number of the poorest communities in the United States.
The average life expectancy on Pine Ridge is 66.81 years, the lowest in the United States. Other statistics, attributed to the Pine Ridge hospital, cite an average life expectancy for men of just 47 years. Women fare slightly better, with an average life expectancy of 55 years.
There are 3,143 counties in the United States. Oglala Lakota County, contained entirely within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation, has the lowest per capita income ($8,768) in the country, and ranks as the “poorest” county in the nation.
Oglala Lakota County ranked last in the state of South Dakota for quality of life and health behaviors.
Population and Demographics
The population of the reservation is constantly in-flux. Depending on availability of resources (e.g., access to food, transportation and utilities), a house may domicile more than a dozen individuals. The following numbers are indicative of the challenges in capturing accurate data:
18,834 individuals were recorded as living on the Pine Ridge Reservationduring the 2010 U.S. Census. The vast majority (16,906) identified as American Indian.
The South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations reports a total tribal enrollment of 38,332, with 19,639 living on the reservation.
The Department of the Interior reports a “Service Area population” for the Oglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Reservation of 32,152.
42.4% of the population was identified as being younger than 20 years old, in the 2010 U.S. Census. By comparison, the state of South Dakota average for this demographic is 27.8%.
The median age on Pine Ridge is 25.4 years; 24.6 for men, and 26 for women.
19.8% of the population was identified as being older than 50 years old. The South Dakota average for this demographic is 33.8%.
An 89% unemployment rate was identified in a 2005 Department of the Interior report. With a labor force of 29,539 in the tribe (not specifically the reservation), just 3,131 were employed. The Department of the Interior has since ceased producing estimates of “unemployment.”
Per capita income for American Indians living on Pine Ridge is $7,773. The average for all reservations is $10,543. The United States average is $27,599.
The median household income is $26,721 for American Indians living on Pine Ridge Reservation. The United States average is $53,482.
The officially reported poverty rate for American Indians living on Pine Ridge is 53.75%. The United States average is 15.6%.
Many assessments, drawing from sources other than U.S. Census data and government tabulations place the actual poverty rate in excess of 80% of the reservation’s population.
Two of the five “poorest communities in America” are located on the Pine Ridge Reservation:
The school drop-out rate is over 70%. 28.7% of the native population of Pine Ridge Reservation reports having attained a high school diploma, GED or alternative. 10.7% of the native population reports having attained a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Oglala Lakota County ranked 59-out-of-60 counties in South Dakota for overall health outcomes in 2017.
One in four children born on Pine Ridge are diagnosed with either Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Statistics produced by the Oglala Sioux Tribe paint a bleak picture about the health of the reservation:
Tuberculosis: 800% higher than America as a whole
Infant mortality: 300% higher than America as a whole
Teen suicide: 150% higher than America as a whole
Approximately 85% of Lakota families are affected by alcoholism
Approximately 58% of grandparents of Lakota families are raising their grandchildren
Approximately 50% of adults over the age of 40 have diabetes
