It's commonly believed that the first people arrived in North America during the Ice Age when they ventured across the Bering Strait between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Over time, they dispersed across the continent and into South America, establishing distinct tribes, territories, and cultures. Waves of people likely continued to arrive at different times and by different means, with some researchers arguing that humans traveled to South America and the West Coast via Pacific routes.
When Christopher Columbus and other explorers sailed to North America, they sought to colonize the Native Americans' territory and claim it as their own. Through decades of wars and treaties, Native Americans have had a complicated, painful history with European colonists. As they were experts in the North American landscape and its resources, Native Americans were able to build a strong economy based on trade with the Europeans. But as colonial presence grew and Manifest Destiny rhetoric set in, westward expansion sponsored by the U.S. government pushed Native Americans out of the land they had known for generations. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act, which forced many tribes from their ancestral lands and pushed them west onto reservations. About 100,000 Native Americans were forcibly removed under this policy.
Though some customs and traditions have been lost to colonization, war, and missionary efforts, many tribes still maintain a unique identity that honors their rich ancestral history.
In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day on Oct. 14, 2024, Stacker used 2020 estimates from the Census, the most comprehensive recent population report on the United States' Native American population, to compile a list of 50 of the largest Native American tribal populations in the country today.
As of the 2020 Census, about 9.6 million people identify as having some Indigenous heritage, whether in combination with other races or not. That marks a massive increase from the 2010 Census, when 5.2 million people claimed the same, but a 2023 Washington Post analysis explains that this increase is likely due to an update in Census questions regarding race.
For the purposes of this list, tribes have been based on the number of people who identify as members of this tribe alone or in any combination. For example, someone who is Cherokee and white would be included in the Cherokee population. The list also includes people who identify as each tribe in combination with other Native American groups (e.g., Apache and Navajo), as well as people who identify solely as a member of one Native American tribe. Native American groups unconnected to specific tribes (e.g., Mexican American Indian, Canadian, and French American Indian) are not included on this list.
The Census Bureau's data tracks identity for tribes more generally as well as specific nations. As a result, certain indigenous groups may appear multiple times on the list, like Cherokee and the Cherokee Nation. Some tribal populations cited below, including Micmac and Inca, represent migration from countries outside of the U.S., such as Canada, Peru, and the like. Other groups like Taino are indigenous to the Caribbean including the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Read ahead to see the country's most prominent Native American tribes.
