The Navajo Nation covers about 27,425 square miles, more than four times the next largest reservation. This ranks the 20 largest federally recognized reservations by land area, with 2020 census populations, as of November 2026.
Pictured: the Tohono O’odham Nation, #3 with 4,453 square miles, in a PBS NewsHour report on its border with Mexico.
| Rank | Reservation | State(s) | Area (sq mi) | Area (km²) | Population (2020) | Primary tribe(s) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navajo Nation | Arizona, New Mexico, Utah | 27,425 | 71,030 | 173,667 | Navajo (Diné) | Southwest |
| 2 | Uintah and Ouray | Utah | 6,774 | 17,545 | 24,369 | Ute Indian Tribe | Rocky Mountains |
| 3 | Tohono O’odham | Arizona | 4,453 | 11,534 | 10,201 | Tohono O’odham Nation | Southwest |
| 4 | Pine Ridge | Nebraska, South Dakota | 4,343 | 11,249 | 18,834 | Oglala Lakota (Oglala Sioux Tribe) | Plains |
| 5 | Cheyenne River | South Dakota | 4,266 | 11,049 | 7,639 | Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe | Plains |
| 6 | Crow | Montana | 3,594 | 9,309 | 6,974 | Crow (Apsáalooke) | Plains |
| 7 | Standing Rock | North Dakota, South Dakota | 3,568 | 9,242 | 8,217 | Standing Rock Sioux Tribe | Plains |
| 8 | Wind River | Wyoming | 3,475 | 9,000 | 26,490 | Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho | Rocky Mountains |
| 9 | Fort Peck | Montana | 3,289 | 8,518 | 10,008 | Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes | Plains |
| 10 | San Carlos | Arizona | 2,903 | 7,518 | 10,068 | San Carlos Apache Tribe | Southwest |
| 11 | Fort Apache | Arizona | 2,625 | 6,799 | 13,409 | White Mountain Apache Tribe | Southwest |
| 12 | Hopi | Arizona | 2,532 | 6,558 | 7,185 | Hopi Tribe | Southwest |
| 13 | Blackfeet | Montana | 2,373 | 6,145 | 10,764 | Blackfeet Nation (Amskapi Pikuni) | Plains |
| 14 | Osage | Oklahoma | 2,246 | 5,818 | 47,472 | Osage Nation | Oklahoma |
| 15 | Yakama Nation | Washington | 2,186 | 5,663 | 31,272 | Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation | Northwest |
| 16 | Colville | Washington | 2,116 | 5,480 | 7,807 | Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation | Northwest |
| 17 | Rosebud | South Dakota | 1,972 | 5,106 | 10,869 | Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota) | Plains |
| 18 | Flathead | Montana | 1,936 | 5,014 | 28,359 | Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes | Rocky Mountains |
| 19 | Hualapai | Arizona | 1,601 | 4,148 | 1,335 | Hualapai Tribe | Southwest |
| 20 | Lake Traverse | North Dakota, South Dakota | 1,449 | 3,754 | 10,922 | Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate | Plains |
No matching rows.
Definition, as of November 2026: ranked by land area (water excluded) of federally recognized American Indian reservations, using the area figures the Wikipedia list attributes to the US Census Bureau, with 2020 census populations. Population is everyone living within the reservation boundary, Native or not, so it is not tribal enrollment. Oklahoma is represented only by the Osage Reservation; the former reservations of other Oklahoma nations are now statistical or jurisdictional areas and are not ranked. Alaska Native areas and Hawaiian Home Lands are not included, and the Navajo Nation’s figure is the reservation itself, not off-reservation trust land. Areas are rounded in km².[1]
The Navajo Nation, or Diné Bikeyah, covers about 27,425 square miles across northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah, bigger than ten US states.[1][2] It is also the most populous reservation, with 173,667 residents counted in 2020.[1] It is more than four times the size of the next largest, Uintah and Ouray.
The Uintah and Ouray Reservation in northeastern Utah is the home of the Ute Indian Tribe, whose government is based in Fort Duchesne.[1][3] It covers about 6,774 square miles and had 24,369 residents in 2020, a count that includes people of all backgrounds.[1]
The Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona covers about 4,453 square miles, the third largest reservation, and shares a long stretch of the US-Mexico border.[1][4] The video, from PBS NewsHour, reports on the Nation’s opposition to a border wall that would divide its people.[5]
Pine Ridge, home of the Oglala Lakota and governed by the Oglala Sioux Tribe, lies in southwestern South Dakota and a corner of Nebraska and covers about 4,343 square miles.[1][6] The 2020 census counted 18,834 residents.[1]
The Cheyenne River Reservation in north-central South Dakota is home to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and covers about 4,266 square miles, with 7,639 residents in 2020.[1][7] The video, from the reservation’s Four Bands Community Fund in Eagle Butte, shows local entrepreneurs.[8]
The Crow Reservation in southern Montana, home of the Crow Tribe (Apsáalooke), covers about 3,594 square miles; its headquarters is at Crow Agency.[1][9] The video is a 2010 clip of the Nighthawk Singers at Crow Fair, the tribe’s annual fair and powwow, uploaded by a third party.[10]
Standing Rock spans North and South Dakota, covers about 3,568 square miles and is home to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.[1][11] It drew worldwide attention in 2016 during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, the subject of this short documentary by Divided Films.[12]
Wind River in central Wyoming covers about 3,475 square miles and is shared by two nations, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe.[1][13] Its 26,490 residents in 2020 make it the most populous reservation in the top ten after the Navajo Nation.[1]
The Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana is home to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and covers about 3,289 square miles.[1][14] The tribes have received bison from Yellowstone National Park to rebuild a herd on the reservation.[15]
The San Carlos Reservation in southeastern Arizona is home to the San Carlos Apache Tribe and covers about 2,903 square miles, with 10,068 residents in 2020.[1][16]