While not all Native American reservations are under such poor living conditions, the majority of them are incredibly impoverished. Many times, the conditions on these reservations have been described as "comparable to Third World" and "decades behind the majority of Americans". 

      Firstly, the housing conditions on reservations are quite poor. Because of this, there is a large need for more housing and safer living conditions. Statistically speaking, about 40% of housing on reservations is considered to be inadequate. Due to the fact that housing is hard to come by, approximately 90,000 Native American families are homeless and underhoused. The families that do have homes are overcrowded and one house typically holds three generations of a family or more. In addition to the houses being too crowded, approximately half of them have insufficient cooling, heating and plumbing systems. Also, many homes on these reservations lack multiple utilities such as running water and electricity.

      In addition, Native Americans on reservations have a life expectancy that is approximately 5 years shorter than other Americans. This is largely due to the fact that there are very few healthcare facilities that are available for those living on reservations. Slightly more than half of Native Americans living on reservations have some sort of medical care, yet only about 60% of their medical needs are actually met by the health service they rely on. According to the Navajo Relief Fund, "The Federal government spends half as much on health programs per tribal member as it does on health programs for other Americans". In addition, alcoholism and drug addiction is very prevalent throughout Native American reservations, and the government has yet to put forth funding to provide rehabilitation centers on reservations for Native American addicts to get the help they need. Native Americans have been affected by pressures to move towards a more Western lifestyle and abandon their traditional one as well. These changes have caused an alarming increase for certain diseases among these Native people, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

      Native Americans on reservations also face the problem of finding jobs. Many people assume that native Americans can easily find employment at Indian casinos. This, however, is not the case. Typically, casinos are only profitable when the reservation is near a large city. This is why some reservations, such as those in Michigan, find casinos useful. Because many reservations are isolated in remote areas, casinos are not a practical solution. which leads to large unemployment rates of about 4 to 8 out of 10 adults on reservations being unemployed. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is in complete control of all Native American affairs, and they force businesses and companies to go through a lengthy process in order to work on a reservation. Because of this, jobs are few and far between on reservations, compelling Native people to leave the reservation in order to find work. Problems, such as transportation, prevent Native Americans from branching outside of the reservation to seek out a job. Due to transportation being such an issue, the Native Americans that do find work outside of the reservation are typically forced to live near their jobs. In turn, their children that are left behind on the reservation are taken care of by other family members, which is why there can be three or more generations living in the same household.

      Lastly, Native Americans living on reservations are not receiving the education that they deserve. In the treaties between the federal government and Native American Nations, the government is responsible for providing Native students with education services. However, there is little oversight of the money that has been set aside by the government to be used in order to supplement learning opportunities for Native Americans. Because of the severe lack of funding from the government, not only are their less opportunities for these students, but many of the schools on reservations have become structurally unsafe and unusable. In addition, Native American students are more likely to be suspended than any other racial group besides African Americans when attending public schools, and research has found that students who have been suspended or expelled are more inclined to drop out of school all together. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that less than 70% of indigenous students actually graduate from high school. Those that do graduate high school come out with an education that does not prepare them for college, which is why Native American students complete bachelor's and other advanced degrees at half the rate of white people, and why only 1 out of 10 Native students finish college.