The tribe governs the Muckleshoot Reservation and is composed of descendants of the Duwamish, Stkamish, Smulkamish, Skopamish, Yilalkoamish, and Upper Puyallup peoples.

The earliest recorded use of "Muckleshoot" to refer to a people was in 1864, by one John Montgomery, who described his wife as "an Indian woman of the Muckleshute Band of the Klikitat Tribe."

At Fox Island, Stevens agreed that a reservation would be created in all the lands between the White and Green rivers, including Muckleshoot Prairie.

Later, however, in 1959, the Indian Claims Commission found that the ancestors of the Muckleshoot had possessed 101,620 acres (158.78 sq mi; 411.2 km2) of land, valued at $86,377.

[11] A large Army quartermaster depot was established in the Green River Valley at the south end of Auburn to take advantage of railways.

Together with rapid population growth in the region, which developed many suburbs, these changes put pressure on the Muckleshoot and their reservation holdings.

In the Boldt Decision, the federal district court upheld the right of the Muckleshoot and other Treaty peoples to fish from the rivers of the region and hunt in these territories.

While this improved the tribe's economic standing, the Muckleshoot were soon forced to contend with a sharp decline in the salmon population, due to the adverse effects on the environment, especially river water quality, of urbanization and industrialization.

While they continue to fight for the preservation of the ancient salmon runs, the Muckleshoot also found other venues to improve their economy.

[11] The reservation falls under Public Law 280 jurisdiction, with police services supplied by both King County and Auburn.

As an unincorporated jurisdiction, the Tribe already receives base-level police services from the King County Sheriff's Office.

[11] On November 6, 2013, the Muckleshoot Tribe bought 150 square miles (390 km2) of forest in Washington state to add to its landholdings.

Muckleshoot citizens Earnie Barr, Eva Jerry, Bertha McJoe, Bernice Tanewasha, and Ellen Williams were involved in creating a written form for Lushootseed.

[6] The Muckleshoot Tribe holds Skopabsh Days each August, which is a three-day festival that features traditional arts, crafts, cooking, and clothing.

The Muckleshoot toss the bones and ashes back into the water or stream where they took the salmon, believing that the fish would come alive again (be part of a round of new propagation).

[citation needed] Most Muckleshoot citizens are employed by industries in the nearby city of Auburn, as well as by the tribal government.

[18] The tribe won settlements from Puget Sound Power & Light for the long-term effects of dam construction and the state government for imposing sales taxes on the reservation.

[19] In 2006, the tribe made a $42 million agreement with the Seattle City Council for the conservation and protection of the Cedar River.

[22][23] The Seattle Kraken began wearing a sponsorship patch with the Muckleshoot Tribe's logo during the 2023–24 NHL season.

The casino and bingo parlor, built with a tropical theme, included an off-track horse racing betting area.

Muckleshoot Tribal Schools started in 1984, and provides education which emphasizes Indigenous history, art, dance, and culture, as well as language.