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The U.S. government has determined that the Pine Ridge Reservation is the poorest community in the country. A recent study by the American Indian Relief Council showed that the median per capita income was $2,600 - less then
one fifth the national average Ð and 69 percent of the
population lived below the poverty line. Due to the lack of
industry and the Sioux's inability to obtain loans to start
small businesses, an estimated 73 percent of Pine Ridge residents
were unemployed in 1999.
Many who work must travel vast distances to their jobs, some nearly 100 miles to Rapid City. Services on the Reservation are limited, although there are a few Indian-owned businesses, such as cafes, video stores and gas stations. There is no public transportation system, so those without a car cannot venture far from their homes, which usually means they are unemployed.
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