The Rosebud Reservation was established by an Act of Congress in 1889. The Rosebud Reservation is not thriving economically. The per capita income here is the second lowest in the United States after the Pine Ridge Reservation. The federal government funds the Rosebud tribe at a fraction of what it provides most other tribes. The lack of employment opportunities is particularly devastating to the men on the Rosebud Reservation.
Unstable families are common because of the departure of most male heads of households.
This contributes to more stressful lives for Sioux children, poor self-image, and an increase in suicides among Sioux youth. Hundreds of families move in with others because of the shortage. Thousands of the reservation s residents live in very remote areas that can only be accessed by four-wheel drive vehicles. Access to food and medical care is very difficult because of the vast size and remoteness of the Rosebud Reservation. The Rosebud Reservation has the most developed volunteer force of any Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.