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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Brookings, SD
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Brookings profile


Living in Brookings



Brookings is a medium-sized city located in the state of South Dakota. With a population of 23,993 people and five associated neighborhoods, Brookings is the fourth largest community in South Dakota.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Brookings has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Also of interest is that Brookings has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 9.20% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Because Brookings has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Brookings lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Brookings is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Brookings people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.

Brookings, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

One of the benefits of Brookings is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 13.47 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

Brookings is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 48.98% of adults in Brookings have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Brookings in 2018 was $29,284, which is lower middle income relative to South Dakota and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $117,136 for a family of four. However, Brookings contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Brookings is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Brookings home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Brookings residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Brookings include German, Norwegian, Irish, English, and Dutch.

The most common language spoken in Brookings is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.


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