(BOSTON -July 23 2012) An extensive income analysis by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University finds that Chippewa Band families and households, on average, are not living in poverty. The finding does not justify the expansion of fishing, hunting and gathering rights to meet the income needs of the Chippewa Band.
The average incomes of the Chippewa Band are well above several measures of low and moderate income used by federal agencies and a local Minnesota group. Moreover, while the average incomes of Chippewa Band’s smaller families and households continue to trail those of Mille Lacs County as a whole, the incomes of the Chippewa Band’s larger families outpace those of Mille Lacs County as a whole. READ MORE
Full Report: Moderate Standard of Living
Standard of Living of the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa
Conclusion
Historically, average incomes of the Native American Indians have fallen well below the national averages. However, the adoption and rapid expansion of casino gambling on Indian reservations over the past three decades has narrowed the gap between Native American incomes and average households. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is no exception. The average incomes of the Band are well above several measures of low and moderate income used by federal agencies and a local Minnesota group. Moreover, while the average incomes of smaller families and households within the Mille Lacs tribes continue to trail those of Mille Lacs County as a whole, the incomes of the tribe’s larger families outpace those of the Mille Lacs County as a whole. It is clear that the Mille Lacs Band has achieved incomes that cannot be considered low and are on par with the local population as a whole. Full Report here
