As of January 30, 2026, the United States federally recognizes 575 Native American tribes and Alaska Native entities, each treated as a sovereign nation with a direct government-to-government relationship with the federal government.1Federal Register. Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs The count went from 574 to 575 in late 2025, when the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina received full federal recognition through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. Beyond that federal list, roughly 60 or more additional tribes hold state-level recognition, and about 19 groups are working through the federal acknowledgment pipeline.
Where the 575 Number Comes From
The Department of the Interior publishes an official list of every recognized tribe each year in the Federal Register, as required by the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994.2U.S. Government Publishing Office. Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 That annual list is the single authoritative record. If a tribe is on it, the tribe can access federal services through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service, and it can exercise sovereign powers under laws like the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.3Indian Affairs. Tribal Leaders Directory
The list is not fixed. Tribes can be added by an act of Congress, through the administrative process under 25 C.F.R. Part 83, or by a federal court decision.4Indian Affairs. How Is Federal Recognition Status Conferred Because the number changes, the specific figure of 575 is tied to the most recent Federal Register publication.
Where the 575 Tribes Are Located
The tribes are not evenly distributed across the country. Roughly 227 of the 575 recognized entities are Alaska Native villages, which means nearly 40 percent of all federally recognized tribes sit within a single state.5National Archives and Records Administration. Alaska Native Communities Guide The other 348 are spread across the lower 48, with the heaviest concentrations in California, Oklahoma, and the upper Great Plains. Oklahoma alone is home to 39 federally recognized tribes, many of whose ancestors were forcibly relocated there in the 19th century.
Alaska’s Dual Structure
Alaska’s numbers reflect a legal setup that exists nowhere else. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 created a network of for-profit Alaska Native Corporations to hold land and financial assets for Alaska Native shareholders. Those corporations are state-chartered businesses, not governments, and they do not appear on the list of recognized tribes.6Congress.gov. Supreme Court Holds Alaska Native Corporations Are Indian Tribes Under the ISDEAA The 227 Alaska Native villages, by contrast, hold the same sovereign standing as tribes in the lower 48, even though much of the land originally set aside for them was transferred to the corporations rather than held in trust.
Tribes Not Counted in the 575
Federal recognition is not the only form of tribal acknowledgment, and the 575 figure leaves out several categories of groups that many people would also describe as tribes.
More than a dozen states run their own recognition processes through legislation or executive action, and an estimated 60 or more tribes hold some form of state recognition. State status can enable participation in advisory boards, ceremonial protections, and in some cases state tax benefits, but it does not confer sovereign powers or eligibility for federal programs administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Indian Health Service. Without federal recognition, a tribe cannot have its land placed into trust, and its members cannot access the federal healthcare, education, and housing programs tied to that trust relationship.
Another 19 groups are currently in the federal acknowledgment pipeline. The Office of Federal Acknowledgment lists 12 groups with active petitions and 7 more that plan to supplement their petitions before evaluation.7Office of Federal Acknowledgment. Office of Federal Acknowledgment None of these are counted in the 575, and the timeline for resolution is long: the Government Accountability Office has found that the administrative process, designed to take about two years, can stretch to 15 years or more.8U.S. Government Accountability Office. Consistent and Timely Tribal Recognition Process Needed
How the Count Changes Over Time
Most of the 575 tribes received their status through historical treaties, presidential executive orders, or other federal actions that predate modern procedures. New additions today follow one of three routes established by the 1994 Act.4Indian Affairs. How Is Federal Recognition Status Conferred
- Congress can recognize a tribe directly through legislation. The Lumbee Tribe’s 2025 recognition through the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act is the most recent example. Congressional action is also the only route for tribes previously terminated by Congress.
- A group that has never been recognized can petition the Office of Federal Acknowledgment under 25 C.F.R. Part 83, submitting extensive documentation across seven regulatory criteria covering continuous existence as an Indian community, political authority, descent from a historical tribe, and related requirements.9eCFR. 25 CFR 83.11 – What Are the Criteria for Acknowledgment as a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe
- A federal court can order recognition, though this pathway is uncommon.
The count has also moved down in the past. Between 1953 and 1970, Congress initiated 60 termination proceedings that stripped affected tribes of their recognized status and removed more than three million acres from trust protection.10National Archives. Bureau of Indian Affairs Records – Termination The policy was repudiated in 1970, and some terminated tribes, including the Menominee of Wisconsin in 1973 and the Klamath Tribes of Oregon in 1986, have since been restored by individual acts of Congress.11Indian Affairs. First Step to Restoring Menominee Indian Tribal Government Scheduled
Tribal Members Versus Native Population
The number of tribes and the number of Native people in the United States answer different questions. The total population identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, alone or in combination with other racial groups, was an estimated 7.7 million as of 2024.12U.S. Census Bureau. National Native American Heritage Month That figure counts anyone who self-identifies on Census forms, regardless of tribal enrollment.
Enrolled membership is a narrower category, and each of the 575 tribes controls its own enrollment rules. Some require a minimum blood quantum, meaning a specific proven percentage of ancestry from that tribe. Others use lineal descent, where any documented connection to a historical member qualifies. Some combine both approaches or add residency requirements. Because the rules vary, a person can qualify for enrollment in one tribe but not another, even within the same family. Access to most federal tribal programs depends on enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, not on self-identification.