Last Monday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day for celebrating and honoring native people and their cultures. In the U.S., the Census Bureau identifies indigenous people as American Indian and Alaska native, as well as Pacific islanders and native Hawaiians. From a state-level perspective, the highest shares of indigenous people are in New Mexico (9.46 percent), followed by South Dakota (8.66 percent), Oklahoma (7.44 percent), Montana (6.49 percent) and North Dakota (5.3 percent).

The map below takes a look at the distribution of the Native American population, of one race alone,  across the United States at the Census tract level. In looking at the Census tract level, the Navajo Nation, which is located in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, is significantly distinguishable. It’s worth noting that Native American ancestry is often present, as well, in people who classify themselves as “two or more races” in the Census.

By comparison, the percent share of American Indian and Alaska Native (of one race only) in Georgia is only 0.3 percent. In our state, Echols County (1.94 percent), Charlton County (1.6 percent) and Jenkins County (1.46 percent) had the highest shares of American Indian and Alaska Native residents.