A profile of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S. labor force

In this article, I examine the labor force characteristics of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) during the 2019–21 period by using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). AIANs typically have a younger age profile, a higher unemployment rate, and a lower labor force participation rate than the overall U.S. population. In addition, the unemployment rate is higher for AIANs who live in an AIAN area—a federal or state American Indian reservation or off-reservation trust land, tribal statistical area, or Alaska Native village statistical area—than for AIANs who live elsewhere. According to data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), 3.0 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) accounted for 1.2 percent of the U.S. civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over in 2021.1 The unemployment rate of AIANs was 8.2 percent in 2021, notably higher than the rate of 5.3 percent for the country.