Brookings County, South Dakota Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Brookings County, SD Population Density Map and Area Scores

Area Score

Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.

  • A
    Health Above average
    Healthiest county in South Dakota
  • C
    Income Below average
  • B
    Education Around average
    Among the top 5 best educated counties in South Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Brookings County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Brookings County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 35,353 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 43.9 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.71% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 26.4 35.5 37.3
Households 13,798 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Brookings County grew by 20.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 35,353 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Brookings County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Brookings County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 38.1% of residents. That is 16.1 points above South Dakota as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below South Dakota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.

Male and female share

Women are 49.1% of the people living in Brookings County and men 50.9%.

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Economy

Brookings County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.

Metric Brookings County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $70,805 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.90% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 3.7% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Brookings County is about 6% lower than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Brookings County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $118,181 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $901 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 57.2% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Brookings County is about 10.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $901 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Brookings County spend about 24 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 99 hours, about 4.1 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Brookings County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 11.9 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 23.8 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 99 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,068 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 11.1% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 3,600 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 508 353 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in South Dakota: Jones County (6.7 min), Bennett County (7.5 min), Jackson County (7.8 min).
Slowest: Custer County (25.5 min), McCook County (25.4 min), Turner County (23.1 min).

The average commute time in Brookings County is 12 minutes, shorter than the 15 minutes in South Dakota.

Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Brookings County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.

Metric Brookings County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 33.2% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.33 2.40 2.53

Highest education index among counties in South Dakota: Clay County (0.4), Lincoln County (0.3), Stanley County (0.3).
Lowest: Buffalo County (0.1), Mellette County (0.2), Oglala Lakota County (0.2).

Health

Brookings County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.

Metric Brookings County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 80.0 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 8.7% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 12.9% 19.9% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in South Dakota: Brookings County (0.8), Lincoln County (0.8), Clay County (0.8).
Lowest: Todd County (0.7), Buffalo County (0.7), Mellette County (0.7).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Brookings County, South Dakota.

What is the population of Brookings County, South Dakota?

About 35,353 people live in Brookings County, South Dakota, in 13,798 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 26.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.

Is Brookings County, South Dakota urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Brookings County, South Dakota has 44 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 51% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Brookings County, South Dakota?

The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($118,181 against $70,805), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $901 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How strong is the job market in Brookings County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Brookings County, South Dakota is only 3.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

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