ABSTRACT
This chapter examines economic conditions in tribal areas located throughout the continental United States. It focuses on 100 tribal lands with populations of at least 500 persons. The chapter explains a unique, cross-sectional tribal data set to compare economic conditions in tribal areas with conditions in other areas of the country. A block group is a subunit of a census tract and the smallest geographic unit for which census data are available. The tribal database, which contains information on economic conditions and housing on tribal lands, casino gaming, tribal landownership, and tribal area government institutions, is also used to evaluate the broad determinants of income and employment levels across tribal areas. The nature of landownership is only marginally significant in accounting for variation in tribal income and employment levels. Tribal areas located in those regions have lower income levels, lower rates of employment, and lower levels of educational attainment than do tribal lands located in other regions.
