Marketing to Native Americans / American Indians / First Nation people

In July 2002, the Native American/American Indian population was at 4.3 million, up from Census 1990 figures of 2 million.  The Native American/ American Indian population has been growing more rapidly than the total population, and  is expected to continue to do so.  Contrary to stereotypes, most Native Americans, about 60% of the population, live in urban areas of the country. 

Also contrary to stereotypes, while First Nation people are lumped together externally as "Native American," this term refers to hundreds of different tribes with their own cultures and history.  According to the US Census, 3.1 million people claimed membership in a specific tribe.  American Indian tribes with more than 50,000 members include the Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Muscogee (Creek), Apache, and Lumbee. Cherokee is the largest, with a population of 697,400 who are Cherokee alone or in combination with one or more other races or tribes.  Tlingit is the largest Alaska native tribe, with 17,200 members. Other Alaska native tribes with 5,000 or more members are Alaskan Athabascan, Eskimo, and Yup’ik.

Growth of Native American / First Nation buying power

The Selig Center, Georgia Business   has noted that although this group comprises less than one percent of the nation's population, by 2013, Native American buying power is estimated to be at $84.6 billion dollars, and that $61.8 billion dollars of disposable income makes this group economically attractive to businesses.

Entrepreneurial activity is one major factor in the growth of First Nation buying power.  In 2006, the U.S. Census released a report that indicated that American Indian owned firms increased by 67% from 1997 to 2002, versus the average of all U.S. businesses which increased at about 10% for the same time span.

Another major factor contributing to the increase in Native American buying power is that the population is growing more rapidly than the general population, and it is a relatively young population, with a median age at 31.2 years compared to 40.6 for the non-Hispanic white population.