Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 5:33PM

The Census Bureau study found that Native Americans and Alaskan Native Americans had a combined poverty rate of 27 percent.

Poverty rates for Native Americans and Alaska Natives remain elevated in a number of states across the United States, according to a recent Census Bureau report.

The poverty rate for these two groups was highest in Rapid City, South Dakota, at 50.9 percent, compared to Anchorage, Alaska, where the rate stood at 16.6 percent. In five other areas, the rate was 30 percent or greater. These areas include Gallup, Shiprock and Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, as well as Tuscan, Arizona. A number of other states also carried poverty rates of 30 percent and above for these two groups, including Montana and Utah.

The Census Bureau study found that Native Americans and Alaskan Native Americans had a combined poverty rate of 27 percent, more than 10 percentage points above the national average of 14.3 percent. 

Several groups, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have contributed resources and developed programs designed to create jobs, provide affordable housing assistance and build infrastructure for Native American tribal members. Although these programs have been instrumental in helping build up Native American communities, a great deal of additional resources may be necessary in the coming years. 

For more information, check out this resource: The U.S. Census Bureau