American Indians in Wisconsin

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Overview

American Indian and Alaska Native refer to persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment¹.

As of 2008, an estimated 4.9 million people who were classified as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or American Indian and Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races². This racial group comprises 1.6 percent of the total U.S. population³. American Indians/Alaska Natives frequently contend with issues that prevent them from receiving quality medical care⁴. This includes cultural barriers, geographic isolation, inadequate sewage disposal, and low income⁵.

About 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives live on reservations or other trust lands⁶. Sixty percent of this population lives in metropolitan areas; which is the lowest metropolitan percentage of any racial group⁷. About 1.2 million American Indian and Alaska Natives are under the age of 18, which comprises 27% of this racial group. Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, age 25 and over, 76 percent have earned at least a high school diploma and 14 percent have at least earned a bachelor's degree⁸. Additionally, 50,500 American Indians and Alaska Natives, age 25 and over, have at least an advanced graduate degree⁹. In 2006, 36 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives had private health insurance coverage, 24 percent relied on Medicaid coverage, and 33 percent had no health insurance coverage in 2007¹⁰. Among this racial group, 25 percent lives at the poverty level¹¹.

Wisconsin Population

American Indians comprise of almost 100% of the American Indian and Alaska Native population in Wisconsin; the 2000 Census counted 225 people in Wisconsin (0.01%) who identified as Alaska Native¹². Wisconsin's American Indian population totaled 53,358 in 2008, which was 0.9% of the State total of 5,672,297¹³. medical care. The American Indian population has increased 12.6% since the 2000 Census¹⁴.

Wisconsin is home to 11 federally recognized tribes: Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation, Forest County Potawatomi, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, St. Croix Chippewa, Sokaogon Chippewa (Mole Lake), and Stockbridge-Munsee¹⁵, in addition to other, non-recognized tribes. Each tribe maintains a government-to-government relationship with the State of Wisconsin. Also, each tribe has its own unique peoples, languages, and spiritual and health practices, as do the more than 500 federally recognized American Indian tribes.

As of the 2008, the distribution of American Indian populations in Wisconsin included over 60 percent in the counties of Milwaukee, Brown, Menominee, Shawano, Sawyer, Outagamie, Vilas, Dane, Ashland, and Bayfield¹⁶. About 45 percent of Wisconsin's American Indian population resided in metropolitan areas; 13.7 percent, or 7,313 people, resided in Milwaukee County¹⁷.

History

Health Facts

Additional Information

Back to Minority Populations in Wisconsin

Citations:

Minority Health Report, 2001-2005
http://raceandhealth.hhs.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlID=52
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Minority Health Report, 2001-2005
Minority Health Profiles, created by the Minority Health Program
Minority Health Report, 2001-2005
Ibid.
Minority Health Profiles, created by the Minority Health Program
Ibid.

Additional Information About American Indians in Wisconsin:

More information on American Indian population estimates is available from an interactive data query system, Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH), on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services site.
A synopsis of health-related findings about American Indians in Wisconsin is provided by this excerpt from the Department's Wisconsin Minority Health Report, 2001-2005 (PDF, 44 KB). The full report is also available.
The State of Public School Integration project provides information on the racial and ethnic composition of Wisconsin public schools.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services

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