Arizona, a state in the southwestern region of the United States of America, is known for its high population of Native Americans. Arizona has the third highest number (and the sixth highest percentage) of Native Americans of any state in the Union (See Demographics of Arizona). Out of the entire US population of 2.9 million Native Americans,[1] roughly 286,680 live in Arizona, representing 10% of the country's total Native American population. Only California and Oklahoma have more Native Americans than Arizona by number. Arizona also has the highest proportion of land allocated to Native American reservations, at 28%.[2] Arizona has five of the twelve largest Indian reservations in the United States, including the largest, the Navajo Nation, and the third-largest, the Tohono O'odham Nation. Also, Arizona has the largest number of Native American language speakers in the United States.[3]
There are twelve Native American languages spoken in Arizona, in addition to three other languages that are primarily spoken outside the state and one language with a disputed existence.
Population estimates are based on figures from Ethnologue and U.S. Census data, as given in sub-pages below. The twelve languages are shown in the table below:
| Language | Classification | Number of speakers | Total ethnic population | Tribe(s) included | Location(s) in Arizona | Significant external populations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Na-Dene | 170,000 | 300,000 | New Mexico | |||
| Na-Dene | 13,000 | 20,000 | ||||
| Yuman Pai | 163 | 1,420 | ||||
| Yuman Pai | 1,530 | 2,437 | ||||
| Yuman River | 250 | 1,200 | California | |||
| Yuman River | 100 | 750 | California | |||
| Yuman River | 160 | 400 | Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Gila River Indian Reservation (Maricopa Colony) | |||
| Yuman Delta | 400 | 1,000 | Mexico (Baja California, Sonora) | |||
| Uto-Aztecan Northern: Hopi | 5,000 | 18,000 | ||||
| Uto-Aztecan Northern: Numic | 2,000 | 5,000 | Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California | |||
| Uto-Aztecan Southern: Piman | 10,000 | 20,000 | Sonora | |||
| Uto-Aztecan Southern: Taracahitic | 15,000 | 25,000 | Sonora (Yaqui River Valley) | |||
| ? | Halchidhoma |
In addition to the languages listed in the table above, there are three other Native American languages spoken in Arizona that are primarily found in New Mexico, located immediately to the east: