Pine Ridge Indian Reservation - Demographics

Demographics

Ola Mildred Rexroat was a pilot in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II an Air traffic controller and a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.

In 2005 in an interview, Cecilia Fire Thunder, the first woman president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, noted the following: "68 percent of the college graduates on the reservation are women. Seventy percent of the jobs are held by women. Over 90 percent of the jobs in our schools are held by women."

• As of 2011, population estimates of the reservation range from 28,000 to 40,000. Numerous enrolled members of the tribe live off the reservation.
• 80% of residents are unemployed (versus 10% of the rest of the country);
• 49% of the residents live below the Federal poverty level (61% under the age of 18);
• Per capita income in Shannon County is $6,286;
• The Infant Mortality rate is 5 times higher than the national average;
• Native American amputation rates due to diabetes is 3 to 4 times higher than the national average;
• Death rate due to diabetes is 3 times higher than the national average; and
• Life Expectancy in 2007 was estimated to be 48 for males and 52 for females