Brookings County, South Dakota

Brookings County population, land area and income

Brookings County had 36,359 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 792.2 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 42nd by land area. That works out to 45.9 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in South Dakota has 5,296 residents, so Brookings County is 6.9 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $75,209 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Brookings County's population changed since 2020

Brookings County gained 2,010 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.9%. That ranks 5th of 66 in South Dakota for growth. The median South Dakota county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Brookings County recorded 1,590 births and 989 deaths, a natural change of +601. Net international migration added +870 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +498. The largest single component was international migration, which added 870 people.

Where Brookings County is

The Census internal point of Brookings County is at 44.376700, -96.797800. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades South Dakota's 66 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Brookings County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Brookings County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Brookings County, 28,094 people together, or 77% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Brookings County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Brookings with 24,555.

Counties bordering Brookings County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Brookings County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Lake County, SD, with 11,006 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Lake County

  11,006 people

  29 mi SW

• MN

  Pipestone County, MN

  9,100 people

  37 mi SE

• Hamlin County

  6,596 people

  28 mi NW

• Moody County

  6,529 people

  26 mi SSE

• MN

  Lincoln County, MN

  5,564 people

  26 mi E

• Kingsbury County

  5,261 people

  35 mi W

• Deuel County

  4,335 people

  27 mi NNE

Distance to Pierre and the nearest big city

Pierre is 175.2 miles W of Brookings County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 57.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Brookings, SD (population 24,555), 5.1 miles away.

Brookings County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Brookings County is 46011: state code 46 for South Dakota plus county code 011. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $75,209.