Pine Ridge (

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...

: ''wazíbló'') is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) and the most populous community in Oglala Lakota County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, United States. The population was 3,138 at the 2020 census. It is the tribal headquarters of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

History

The community was named for the pine trees on the ridge surrounding the town site. An early variant name was Pine Ridge Agency. The Pine Ridge reservation was the location of a violent shootout between FBI and activist Native Americans in 1975. FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed in the initial firefight, while activist native Joe Stuntz was later shot by a police sniper. Native/Activist Leonard Peltier was later convicted of the murder of the agents and sentenced to life in prison, but there has been debate around his innocence.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²), of which 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²) (2.54%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 3,138 people, 755 households, and 564 families in Pine Ridge. The population density was 1,106.1 per square mile (427.1/km). There were 821 housing units at an average density of 289.4 per square mile (111.7/km). The racial makeup was 2.33% (73)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(2.2%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 0.06% (2)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 95.63% (3,001) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.13% (4) Asian, 0.0% (0)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 0.45% (14) from other races, and 1.4% (44) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 2.64% (83) of the population. Of the 755 households, 53.9% had children under the age of 18; 19.3% were married couples living together; 46.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 21.2% of households consisted of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.3 and the average family size was 5.7. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 3.9% of the population. 36.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 104.4 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $37,198 (with a margin of error of +/- $14,292) and the median family income was $43,426 (+/- $17,824). Males had a median income of $28,138 (+/- $11,572) versus $17,463 (+/- $6,072) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $20,509 (+/- $7,510). Approximately, 33.8% of families and 41.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 38.7% of those under the age of 18 and 18.2% of those ages 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,171 people, 688 households, and 593 families living in the CDP. The population density was . There were 742 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.20% Native American, 3.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.09%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.03% Asian, 0.09%

, 0.50% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population. There were 688 households, out of which 53.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 40.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.8% were non-families. 10.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.40 and the average family size was 4.63. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 46.9% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 12.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 89.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $21,089, and the median income for a family was $20,170. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $25,516 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $6,067. About 49.2% of families and 61.0% of the population were below the

, including 74.6% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The area

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

Oglala Lakota County School District Oglala Lakota County School District 65-1 (OLCSD) is a public school district headquartered in the Batesland School in Batesland, South Dakota. It is in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It serves all of Oglala Lakota County. It was former ...

. Lakota Tech High School is the public high school. There is a

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...

(BIE) school, Pine Ridge School. Red Cloud Indian School is a private K-12 Catholic school in the area.

Notable people

* SuAnne Big Crow, high school basketball star, leader of state championship team * William "Hawk" Birdshead, philanthropist, suicide prevention, award winning filmmaker * Beth Lydy, actress and singer on Broadway in 1910s * Russell Means (1939–2012),

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is an Native Americans in the United States, American Indian grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues ...

leader, activist and actor *

Billy Mills William Mervin Mills (born June 30, 1938), also known by his Oglala Lakota name Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla, is an American Oglala Lakota former track and field athlete who won a gold medal in the 10,000 metre run (6.2 mi) at the 1964 Tokyo O ...

, born here, won the 10,000 meter gold medal at the 1964 Olympics * Peri Pourier, member of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided ...

* Bobby Robertson, NFL Player

References

External links

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Census-designated places in South Dakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Seats of government of American Indian reservations