According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a greater percentage of American Indians and Alaskan Natives were unemployed between 2007 and 2011 than any other U.S. racial group.  For this group, the poverty rate during the period was 27 percent - 13 percentage points higher than the poverty rate for the total U.S. population.  At the same time, 48.3 percent of Native Americans in South Dakota and 41.6 percent of those in North Dakota were living in poverty.

DED addresses Indian Country joblessness and economic malaise by providing technical assistance to:

• Link tribal and Native businesses with federal and private sector procurement opportunities that can create jobs and stimulate economies in Indian Country;
• Build the legal infrastructure that is indispensable to economic progress by helping tribes to formulate, adopt, and implement secured transactions codes;
• Equip tribal business men and women and tribal economic development managers with knowledge that is important for commercial and economic success through a series of online training primers, "Tribal Economic Development Principles at a Glance."

These activities fulfill priorities of the Administration and Department, which has placed an emphasis on improving reservation economies.

• Tribal Business Structure Handbook
• USDA Rural Development –Direct Loans and Grants (Rural Development Program Summary)

Tribal leaders, Indian Entrepreneurs and Native business men and women, click below:

• Native American Business Development
• Native American Business Development Institute (NABDI) Grant
• Online Primers: "Economic Development at a Glance"
• Building Legal Infrastructure