Brookings County, SD

County

Add Comparison
    2024 Population
    35,353
    US Senator
    John Thune
    Republican Party
    US Senator
    Mike Rounds
    Republican Party
    US Representative
    Dusty Johnson
    Republican Party
    2024 Poverty Rate
    13.2%
    2.62% 1-year increase
    2024 Median Household Income
    $70,064
    4.04% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $264,600
    7.43% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    19,061
    0.021% 1-year decline

    About

    None of the households in Brookings County, SD reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

    95.5% of the residents in Brookings County, SD are U.S. citizens.

    In 2024, the median property value in Brookings County, SD was $264,600, and the homeownership rate was 57.2%.

    Most people in Brookings County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Brookings County, SD was 2 cars per household.

    United StatesSouth DakotaBrookings, SD

    Population & Diversity

    Brookings County, SD is home to a population of 35.4k people, from which 95.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.1% of Brookings County, SD residents were born outside of the country (2.16k people).

    In 2024, there were 26.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.9k people) in Brookings County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.16k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 821 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    95.5%
    2024 Citizenship
    96.2%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 95.5% of Brookings County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Brookings County, SD was 96.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

    The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Brookings County, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Brookings County, SD
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      30.9k ± 106
    2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
      1.16k ± 104
    3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
      821 ± 179
    4.55%
    Hispanic Population
    1.61k people

    In 2024, there were 26.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.9k people) in Brookings County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.16k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 821 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    4.55% of the people in Brookings County, SD are hispanic (1.61k people).

    The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Brookings County, SD as a share of the total population.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      3,429 ± 1,435 people
    2. Guatemala
      2,883 ± 1,316 people
    3. Ethiopia
      2,826 ± 1,303 people

    In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,429 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,883 and Ethiopia with 2,826.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Foreign-Born Population

    6.1%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    2.16k people
    5.52%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    1.93k people

    As of 2024, 6.1% of Brookings County, SD residents (2.16k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Brookings County, SD was 5.52%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

    The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Brookings County, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      525 ± 157
    2. Gulf War (2001-)
      258 ± 113
    3. Gulf War (1990s)
      158 ± 81

    Brookings County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.03 times greater than any other conflict.

    The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Brookings County, SD.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Health

    94.9% of the population of Brookings County, SD has health coverage, with 61.3% on employee plans, 6.07% on Medicaid, 9.9% on Medicare, 15.8% on non-group plans, and 1.8% on military or VA plans.

    Primary care physicians in Brookings County, SD see 1,732 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,732 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2218 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 620 patients per year.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.8% were men and 49.2% were women.

    Coverage

    Patient to Clinician Ratios

    1,732 to 1
    Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Brookings County, SD

    Primary care physicians in Brookings County, SD see an average of 1,732 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,732 patients).

    The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Brookings County, SD in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Location of Health Services Facilities

    Health Service Type
    Health Practice Name
    Top 5 Health Facilities Servicing the Greatest Number of Households

    12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4001

    View Data
    Save Image

    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.8% under 18 years, 34% between 18 and 34 years, 28.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.1% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.8% were men and 49.2% were women.

    The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Uninsured People

    5.11%
    Uninsured
    61.3%
    Employer Coverage
    6.07%
    Medicaid
    9.9%
    Medicare
    15.8%
    Non-Group
    1.8%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Brookings County, SD grew by 17.5% from 4.34% to 5.11%.

    The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Brookings County, SD changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Health Indicators

    Health Outcomes

    Indicator

    In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 4.4 in Brookings County, SD.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brookings County, SD.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Health Behaviors

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37.8% in Brookings County, SD.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brookings County, SD.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Clinical Care

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 7.66% in Brookings County, SD.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brookings County, SD.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Economy

    The economy of Brookings County, SD employs 19.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Brookings County, SD were Manufacturing (4,000 people), Educational Services (3,249 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,944 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($118,798), Wholesale Trade ($59,191), and Public Administration ($56,289).

    Employment

    Occupations

    19.1k
    2024 Value
    ± 1,032
    −0.021%
    1 Year decline
    ± 7.57%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brookings County, SD declined at a rate of −0.021%, from 19.1k employees to 19.1k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Brookings County, SD, are Management Occupations (2,173 people), Production Occupations (2,089 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,775 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Brookings County, SD.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Unemployment Insurance Claims

    Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

    This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Dakota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

    The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Industries

    Employment by Industries

    19.1k
    2024 Value
    ± 1,032
    −0.021%
    1 Year decline
    ± 7.57%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brookings County, SD declined at a rate of −0.021%, from 19.1k employees to 19.1k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Brookings County, SD, are Manufacturing (4,000 people), Educational Services (3,249 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,944 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Brookings County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Brookings County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Median Earnings by Industry

    $47,908
    Median earning men ± $2,845
    $34,268
    Median earning women ± $3,405

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($66,623), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($65,833), and Manufacturing ($60,343).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($63,000), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($53,229), and Construction ($52,708).

    View Data
    Save Image

    Employment by Industry Sector

    Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.
    Y-Axis
    2.37%
    Year-over-year growth
    Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

    As of February 2023, there are 450k people employed in South Dakota. This represents a 2.37% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

    Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.96%.

    The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Dakota.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Establishments by Size

    The industries with the most establishments
    1. 74
      Construction
    2. 62
      Other Services (except Public Administration)
    3. 44
      Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

    The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

    The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $316k
      Manufacturing
    2. $63.2k
      Health Care and Social Assistance
    3. $51k
      Retail Trade

    The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Civics

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

    John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing the state of South Dakota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

    Brookings County, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

    Presidential Elections

    Voting results are not available for Brookings County, SD. Showing the available data for South Dakota.
    2024 Election Results
    1. Donald J. Trump (63.4%)
      Republican Party
    2. Kamala Harris (34.2%)
      Democratic Party
    3. Robert Kennedy (1.68%)
      Independent Party

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

    The following chart shows the popular vote results in South Dakota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Senator Elections

    US Senators from South Dakota

    Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.
    John Thune
    Senator from South Dakota3
    Assumed office on January 3, 2005
    Mike Rounds
    Senator from South Dakota2
    Assumed office on January 3, 2015

    John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing South Dakota.

    In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

    The following chart shows elected senators in South Dakota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

    View Data
    Save Image

    US Representative Elections

    US Representatives from Brookings County, SD

    Dusty Johnson
    District at-large Representative
    Republican Party

    Brookings County, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson (Republican Party).

    Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Brookings County, SD have changed over time starting in 2008.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Education

    In 2024, universities in Brookings County, SD awarded 2,696 degrees. The student population of Brookings County, SD in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 5,309 male students and 6,747 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Brookings County, SD are White (2,266 and 90.2%), Hispanic or Latino (72 and 2.87%), Two or More Races (42 and 1.67%), and Asian (39 and 1.55%).

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

    University
    Measure

    In 2024 in Brookings County, SD, the percentage of applicants admitted was 98.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 34.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 12,056 (44% men and 56% women).

    The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    Universities

    In 2024 there were 12,056 students enrolled in Brookings County, SD, 44% men and 56% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 9,749 records, of which 56.8% were women and 43.2% men.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Completions

    Student Diversity

    University

    In 2024, 1,133 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Brookings County, SD, which is 0.725 times less than the 1,563 female students who received degrees in the same year.

    In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,266 degrees mean that there were 31.5 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 72 degrees awarded.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Awarded Degrees over Time

    The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Brookings County, SD was $264,600 in 2024, which is 0.795 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $246,300 to $264,600, a 7.43% increase. The homeownership rate in Brookings County, SD is 57.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

    People in Brookings County, SD have an average commute time of 14.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Brookings County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    In 2025, 11% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Brookings County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.04%.

    Housing

    Property

    $264,600
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$11,840
    $7,896
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$573

    The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Brookings County, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

    The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Brookings County, SD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $70,064
    Median Household Income
    ± $6,292
    13.8k
    Number of Households
    ± 891

    In 2024, the median household income of the 13.8k households in Brookings County, SD grew to $70,064 from the previous year's value of $67,341.

    The following chart displays the households in Brookings County, SD distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the N/A range.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Brookings County, SD is from South Dakota.
    0.44
    2024 Wage GINI in South Dakota
    0.443
    2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota

    In 2024, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.44 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.642% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Dakota in comparison to the national average.

    This chart shows the number of workers in South Dakota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (73.9%)
    2. Worked At Home (11.1%)
    3. Carpooled (9.25%)

    In 2024, 73.9% of workers in Brookings County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.1%) and those who carpooled to work (9.25%).

    The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Commute Time

    14.3 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Brookings County, SD have a shorter commute time (14.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.805% of the workforce in Brookings County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

    The chart below shows how the median household income in Brookings County, SD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

    The following chart displays the households in Brookings County, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Brookings County, SD have 2 cars.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Poverty

    Severe Housing Problems

    In 2025, 11% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Brookings County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.04%.

    The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Poverty & Diversity

    13.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Brookings County, SD (4.24k out of 32.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

    The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Brookings County, SD is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

    The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Children in Poverty

    In 2025, 7.4% of the children was living in poverty in Brookings County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.9%.

    The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Security

    Crimes & Accidents

    Indicator

    In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 114 in Brookings County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 88.7% per 100,000 population.

    The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

    View Data
    Save Image