Tribal governments have historically been underrepresented or misrepresented in government datasets, often leaving policymakers and Native American populations in the dark about their own communities, a new report says. But policymakers can adopt policies and practices to help close those data gaps and improve insights and outcomes for native communities.
Accurate and trustworthy data from the government is “really top of mind for a lot of people right now, and, in particular, a lot of government officials,” said Robert Maxim, a fellow at Brookings Metro and one of the report’s authors.
Since early 2025, for example, the federal government has tried to remove certain data and resources from public view, such as demographic information on minority groups, according to a report released by the Brookings Institution last week. Such efforts present an opportunity for states and localities to improve their data policies and practices to enhance actionable insights that tribal, state and local governments can leverage…