Monday Open Line


As National American Indian Heritage Month winds down, attention is drawn to the increasing role American Indians and Alaska Natives play in the country’s economy. When last measured, businesses owned by this 5.2 million strong population grew in a recent five-year period to around 237,000. They generate nearly $34.5 billion in annual revenue. Just over half of these firms are in construction, retail trade, and wholesale trade. The largest number of firms owned by American Indians and Alaska Natives — nearly 46,000 — is in California. Nearly 26 percent of civilian-employed single-race American Indian and Alaska Native people 16 and older work in management, business, science and arts occupations. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.