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Updated: 12/17/2008 A recent study by the American Indian Relief Council showed that the median per capita income was $2,600 - less then one-fifth the national average and 69 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. o The personal per capita income is ranked 66th out of 66 counties in the State of South Dakota. Hundreds of people on the Rosebud Reservation are homeless and thousands live in crowded or substandard housing. o Each winter Reservation Elders are found dead from hypothermia (freezing). o Homes are overcrowded and many homeless families live in shacks, old trailers, dilapidated mobile homes or tents. o It is estimated that an average of 17 people may live in a family home which were built as 3 room homes. Some homes built for 6 to 8 people have up to 30 people living in them. o Over 33% of the homes lack basic water and sewage systems as well as electricity. o Many residents must carry water which is often contaminated from the local rivers daily for their personal use. o Many homes lack stoves, refrigerators, beds and/or basic furniture. Indian people do not, for the most part, control their lands directly titles to most Indian lands are held by the U.S. department of the Interior, in trust for the owners. Only 23 percent of Sioux children graduate from high school, and among that group, only 17 percent go on to college. o Homelessness, poverty and learning disabilities contribute to the dropout rate, as does the lack of reading and writing experience. o Lack of transportation keeps truancy rates high and lack of electricity in many homes prohibits students from doing schoolwork after dark. Sioux Indians in South Dakota have the poorest health of any minority group in the United States. Preventative healthcare programs are rare. o Life expectancy on the Reservation is 48 years old for men and 52 years old for women. o The infant mortality rate is the highest on this continent and is about 300% higher than the U.S. national average. o The rate of diabetes on the Reservation is 800% higher than the U.S. national average. Diabetic-related blindness, amputations and kidney failure are common. o The tuberculosis rate is approximately 800% higher than the U.S. national average. Cervical cancer is 500% higher than the U.S. national average. Technology by: Altuit, Inc.