Information on the Eastern Navajo Nation * Thoreau, NM Area

Statisics on the area taken from the Indian County Extension Navajo Nation * Window Rock.
Encompassing 27,000 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, the Navajo Nation, geographically, is the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. The area of the reservation is greater that of the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont combined. The Navajo Nation claims approximately 298,000 enrolled members; it is the second largest tribe in population; over 173,000 Navajos live on the reservation. The population has increased 3.5 times from the 50,000 people who resided on the reservation in 1940. Most homes do not have electricity, running water, or telephones. The Navajo Nation has no urban centers, and most roads remained unpaved (U.S. Census, 2007; Navajo Division of Economic Development, 2008). According to the 2000 census 298,215 persons declared Navajo ancestry or tribal affiliation. An individual must be at least one-quarter Navajo in order to be an enrolled tribal member, according to Navajo law.
According to the Navajo Nation's 2000-2001 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, the nation's unemployment rate is 44 percent, the median family income is $11,885, and the per capita income is $6,217. Over 56 percent of Navajos live below the poverty level, the highest poverty rate in the U.S., even among American Indians. At the same time, 68 percent of Navajo monies are spent in off-reservation communities. Of the 676 private employers, only 35 percent are Navajo-owned. Navajo Nation government offices account for an additional 146 employers.
http://www.indiancountryextension.org/extension.php?=6

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