Federally recognized tribes are those Native American tribes recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the U.S.federal government. As of 2025, 575 Indian tribes have been legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States.
Description In the United States, the Native American tribe is a fundamental unit of sovereign tribal government. As the Department of the Interior explains, "federally recognized tribes are recognized as possessing certain inherent rights of self-government (i.e., tribal sovereignty)...." The constitution grants to the U.S. Congress the right to interact with tribes. More specifically, the Supreme Court of the United States in United States v. Sandoval (231 US. 28 ) warned, "it is not ... that Congress may bring a community or body of people within range of this power by arbitrarily calling them an Indian tribe, but only that in respect of distinctly Indian communities the questions whether, to what extent, and for what time they shall be recognized and dealt with as dependent tribes" (at 46).Sheffield (1998) p. 56 Federal tribal recognition grants to tribes the right to self-government, as well as certain benefits. The recognition process is largely controlled by the United States federal agency the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in consultation with federally recognized tribes.
In January 2015, the United States' Federal Register issued an official list of 566 tribes that are Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs.Federal Register, Volume 80, Number 9 dated January 14, 2015 The number of tribes increased to 567 in July 2015 with the federal recognition of the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia.Federal Acknowledgment of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe USA.gov, the federal government's official web portal, maintains a list of tribal governments which is constantly updated. Ancillary information present in former versions of this list but no longer contained in the current listing have been included here in italics print.
In 2018, six more Virginia-based tribes were added to the list, then in 2020 the Little Shell Chippewa were recognized, bringing the total to 574. When the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina received federal recognition in December 2025, the total increased to 575. Of these, 231 are located in Alaska.
Except for Hawaii, states that have no federally recognized tribes today forcibly removed tribes from their region in the 19th century, mainly to the west and especially to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.
Alabama Poarch Band of Creek Indians(previously listed as Poarch Band of Creeks, Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama, Creek Nation East of the Mississippi)
Alaska
Arizona
Multiple states: Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California & Arizona Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico
Arkansas No federally recognized tribes
California
Multiple states: Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California & Arizona Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California Carson Colony Dresslerville Colony Woodfords Community Stewart Community Washoe Ranches
Colorado Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado
Multiple states: Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah
Connecticut Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut
Delaware No federally recognized tribes
Florida Miccosukee Tribe of Indians(previously listed as Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida) Seminole Tribe of Florida Big Cypress Reservation Brighton Reservation Hollywood Reservation Tampa Reservation
Georgia No federally recognized tribes
Hawaii
No federally recognized tribes
Idaho Coeur D'Alene Tribe, previously listed as Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, Idaho Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation(previously listed as Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho)
Multiple states: Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Idaho and Nevada
Illinois Multiple states:
Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation
Indiana Multiple states: Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana
Iowa Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
Kansas Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
Multiple states: Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation(previously listed as Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians) Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Kentucky No federally recognized tribes
Louisiana Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana Jena Band of Choctaw Indians Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana
Maine Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians(previously listed as Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians of Maine) Mi'kmaq Nation(previously listed as Aroostook Band of Micmacs; Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians) Passamaquoddy Tribe(previously listed as Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine) Penobscot Nation(previously listed as Penobscot Tribe of Maine)
Maryland No federally recognized tribes
Massachusetts Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Massachusetts Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) of Massachusetts(previously listed as Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head, Inc.)
Michigan
Multiple states: Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana
Minnesota Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota Prairie Island Indian Community in the State of Minnesota Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota Upper Sioux Community, Minnesota
Multiple states: Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin (also in Minnesota)(previously listed as Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe) Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, MinnesotaSix component reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake) Fond du Lac Band (also in Wisconsin) Grand Portage Band Leech Lake Band Mille Lacs Band White Earth Band
Mississippi Multiple states: Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Missouri No federally recognized tribes
Montana
Multiple states: Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota (also in Montana and South Dakota)
Nebraska Omaha Tribe of Nebraska Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Santee Sioux Nation, Nebraska(previously listed as Santee Sioux Tribe of the Santee Reservation of Nebraska) Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Multiple states: Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Nevada
Multiple states: Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Idaho and Nevada Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California Carson Colony Dresslerville Colony Woodfords Community Stewart Community Washoe Ranches
New Hampshire No federally recognized tribes
New Jersey No federally recognized tribes
New Mexico
Multiple states: Fort Sill Apache Tribe (also Oklahoma) Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico (also Arizona)
New York
North Carolina Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians(previously listed as Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina)
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
North Dakota Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota
Multiple states: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota (also in Montana and South Dakota)
Ohio No federally recognized tribes
Oklahoma
Oregon
Multiple states: Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe
Pennsylvania No federally recognized tribes
Rhode Island Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island
South Carolina Catawba Indian Nation(previously listed as Catawba Tribe of South Carolina)
South Dakota
Multiple states: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota (also in Montana and South Dakota)
Tennessee Multiple states: Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Texas
Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas(previously listed as Texas Band of Traditional Kickapoo) Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas
Utah Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah (Washakie) Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Cedar City Band of Paiutes Kanosh Band of Paiutes Koosharem Band of Paiutes Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes Shivwits Band of Paiutes Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah
Multiple states: Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah
Vermont No federally recognized tribes
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia No federally recognized tribes
Wisconsin
Multiple states: Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin (also in Minnesota)(previously listed as Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe) Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota Fond du Lac Band (also in Wisconsin)
Wyoming Arapahoe Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
See also Classification of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Native Americans in the United States Federally recognized tribes, continental United States List of Alaska Native tribal entities List of Indian reservations in the United States List of historical Indian reservations in the United States State recognized tribes in the United States Organizations that self-identify as Native American tribes
Indigenous peoples in Canada List of Indian reserves in Canada List of First Nations governments List of First Nations peoples Inuit Métis
References