Cherokee Nation $3.1B economic impact fuels jobs and growth

D. Sean Rowley
Cherokee Phoenix

TULSA – The Cherokee Nation continues to be a driving force in Oklahoma’s economy, generating more than $3.1 billion in annual economic impact, according to the latest assessment unveiled on April 2 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa.

The research, which offers assessments every other year, was again led by Dr. Russell Evans of the Economic Impact Group and professor of economics for Oklahoma City University. Officials said the CN continues to be a tremendous stimulus to the Oklahoma economy. The CN adds to good and services available, employment and labor income, according to the statistics.

The research suggests the CN directly and indirectly supports more than 23,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in wages and benefits each year. The CN government and its businesses make more than $536 million in purchases from local vendors and small businesses in northeast Oklahoma.

“Cherokee Nation’s economic impact is about more than dollars and data,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “It’s a reflection of our deep commitment to the prosperity of the Cherokee people and the communities we call home. In addition to illustrating where our dollars go across the reservation and how those investments ripple through our communities, this report reminds us just how far each dollar reaches; creating opportunities, strengthening communities and building a better future for all.”

According to the report’s addendum, CN funds received through the American Rescue Relief Plan Act added a further $189 million impact in the state. Such funding was issued directly to citizens for hardship assistance or provided for programs such as construction of housing and community buildings, community enhancement grants, employment and job training, first responder efforts, and support for cultural programs, including language preservation.

“Economic impact reports measure how deeply rooted a center of economic activity is in the broader economy,” Evans said. “Cherokee Nation’s $3.1 billion impact is a direct reflection of their roots in northeastern Oklahoma where they support local businesses through vendor purchases and local communities through grants and economic development partnerships, as well as provide local labor markets with a steady demand for workers. The Nation’s strategic use of one-time federal recovery funds is designed to create an additional long-term impact on the region, ensuring even deeper roots and stronger connections for years to come.”

The study assessed fiscal year 2023, which covers Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023. During that year the CN funded $17.5 million in higher education scholarships, provided vocational training and educational assistance for more than 1,300 Native Americans, and funded $7.8 million in contributions from car tag sales to public schools in northeast Oklahoma.

CN also put $7.4 million into construction and expansion of its child development centers, and provided 10,000 food vouchers and 74,000 clothing vouchers for schoolchildren.

Native-owned enterprises did more than $150 million in business with the CN in FY 2023, a figure Hoskin called “extraordinary.”

“That is one of the things that makes us unique as an economic powerhouse in northeast Oklahoma,” he said. “We’re not wondering if someday maybe we’ll pick up and move somewhere else. We’re not wondering if someday we’ll find some economic conditions that might be just a little bit better for our bottom line. We’re looking at this as our forever home and we’re treating it that way, so every time we have a hand in creating a job or getting behind an entrepreneur – that’s personal to us. That means that our homes, our communities are getting stronger.”

Through the previous decade, Cherokee Nation Businesses has contributed $1.2 billion in dividends to support CN programs and services. Furthermore, the tribe’s gaming operations have contributed more than half a billion dollars to state coffers since the state-tribal compacts were established in 2005.

“CNB’s mission to broaden and strengthen Cherokee Nation’s economy as we invest, innovate, diversify and grow has always been at the core of everything we do, and it always will be,” said Chuck Garrett, CNB CEO. “As our annual dividend to the tribe, gaming compact fees, investments and more continue to grow every year, it is an absolute honor to see our company’s efforts creating even more of an impact throughout our communities and across Cherokee Nation.”