The purpose of this article is to address a gap in the empirical literature by analyzing levels of proportional representation of American Indians over time in state and local government bureaucracies in key states. The authors limit their analysis to six states with the largest percentages of American Indian populations in 2000: Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Their research questions are: Are American Indians underrepresented in the more desirable, better-paying positions in state and local (i.e., counties, cities, townships, and special districts, excluding school districts) government bureaucracies, and, by contrast, are they overrepresented in the lower-paying, less desirable public-sector positions? Also, for both managerial and nonmanagerial positions, have levels of representation within states changed over time? In order to place state and local government employment in its proper context, their discussion begins with a brief overview of the socio-economic situation of American Indians. Second, they discuss empirical studies of the distribution of government jobs among historically disadvantaged groups with an emphasis on the dearth of research on American Indians. Third, they outline their research methods and present the findings from their research. Throughout this analysis they maintain a focus on occupational segregation and parity ratios for American Indians in the selected states. (Contains 7 tables and 48 notes.)