aian "Status of Amer. Indians' Housing on Reservations" (4/10/95) EMBARGOED UNTIL: APRIL 10, 1995 (MONDAY) Public Information Office CB95-74 301-457-2794 301-457-4067 (TDD) Robert Bonnette 301-763-8553 CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS ON STATUS OF AMERICAN INDIANS' HOUSING ON RESERVATIONS EMBARGOED UNTIL: APRIL 10, 1995 (MONDAY) Less than half of American Indians' housing on reservations was connected to public sewers and many lacked complete plumbing or kitchens, according to three statistical briefs released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau focusing on the state of American Indian housing in 1990. The briefs are titled "Housing of American Indians on Reservations -- Plumbing" (SB/95-9); "Housing of American Indians on Reservations -- Equipment and Fuels" (SB/95-11); and "Housing of American Indians on Reservations--Structural Characteristics" (SB/95-10). They examine housing data for U.S. reservations and trust lands collected in the 1990 Census of Population and Housing. They also examine plumbing equipment, fuels, and structural characteristics for the 48 reservations with 500 or more American Indian households. Just under half of the households were connected to a public sewer, one of the briefs said. The comparable figure for all U.S. households was 76 percent. This is due in part to the rural nature of most reservations. About one in five American Indian reservation households disposed of sewage by means other than public sewer, septic tank or cesspool (e.g., outhouses, chemical toilets, and facilities in another structure). Nationally, 1 percent of all households used these methods of sewage disposal. About one in five American Indian households on reservations lacked complete plumbing facilities in their homes--hot and cold piped water, a flush toilet, and a bathtub or shower. This compared with fewer than 1 percent of all households nationally. About six out of every 10 American Indian homeowners on the Navajo Reservation did not have complete plumbing. About 18 percent of American Indian households on reservations in 1990 did not have complete kitchens, i.e., a sink with piped water, a range or cookstove, and a refrigerator. In 1950, about 20 percent of all U.S. households lacked complete kitchens. By 1990, only 1 percent of households nationally was without one or more of these amenities. The majority of American Indian homes on reservations (53 percent) did not have a telephone. This was true for only 5 percent of all households nationally. When it comes to motor vehicles, 22 percent of American Indian households on reservations did not have one in 1990, the briefs said. Nationally, 12 percent of all U.S. households were without a vehicle. Although rarely used nationally, wood was used to heat one out of every three American Indian homes on reservations in 1990. Bottled, tank, or LP gas and electricity, at 22 percent and 19 percent, respectively, were the next most commonly used fuels. In 1940, 23 percent of U.S. households used wood as fuel, but since 1950 wood has been a fuel used very little at the national level. The analyses also found that American Indian households on reservations were only about half as likely as all households nationally to live in an "old" home, i.e., one built before 1940. They were likelier to live in mobile homes (14 percent vs. 7 percent nationally), and only 5 percent (compared with 27 percent for all households nationally) lived in multiunit structures. -X- Editor's note: EMBARGOED UNTIL: APRIL 10, 1995 (MONDAY) media representatives may request copies of the three briefs from the bureau's Public Information Office by telephone: 301-457-2794; fax: 301-457-3670; or e-mail: pio@census.gov. Non-media orders should be directed to the bureau's Customer Services Office on