Mapped: Dallas-Fort Worth's Indigenous population
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More than 790,000 Texans — or 2.6% of the state's population — are American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination with other ethnicities, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Why it matters: Texas has recognized Indigenous Peoples' Week in October since 2021, after the Legislature passed a bill sponsored by state Sen. Royce West of Dallas.
- President Joe Biden was the first president to commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2021.
State of play: Neither Indigenous Peoples' Day nor Columbus Day is an official holiday in Texas, meaning state offices aren't closed. More than half of U.S. states don't recognize either day.
- Dallas city offices were closed Monday to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day, but it wasn't a city holiday in Fort Worth.
Zoom in: About 152,000 people in the main four counties in Dallas-Fort Worth identify as American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination with other ethnicities, according to Census Bureau data.
- Native people account for 2% of the population in Collin County, 2.4% in Dallas County, 2.1% in Denton County and 2.1% in Tarrant County.
Reality check: Much of modern Dallas-Fort Worth's Native population stems from the American Indian Urban Relocation program, which moved Indigenous people off tribal lands.
Zoom out: Oklahoma has one of the largest Native populations in the country, with 14.3% of the state's population identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native.