Demographics of Brookings County, South Dakota

Brookings County, South Dakota had 37,635 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +3,297 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Brookings County, in four figures

37,635
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +9.6%
Change since July 2020: +3,297 people.; 28.0 ±0.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $70,064 ±$6,292
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Brookings County, South Dakota's population grew 9.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Brookings County, South Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Brookings County, South Dakota's population grew 9.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Brookings County, South Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	34,338	100.0	100.0
2021	34,676	101.0	100.2
2022	35,385	103.0	100.7
2023	35,827	104.3	101.6
2024	36,814	107.2	102.5
2025	37,635	109.6	103.1

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Population of Brookings County, South Dakota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	34,338	−26	+32	+5	−63
2021	34,676	+338	+113	+117	+85
2022	35,385	+709	+158	+245	+313
2023	35,827	+442	+141	+184	+121
2024	36,814	+987	+193	+745	+46
2025	37,635	+821	+194	+592	+30

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 28.0 ±0.4: for men 28.0 ±0.5 and for women 28.0 ±0.8. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Brookings County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Under 5	1,870 ±109	5.3% ±0.3	6.3% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	5,585 ±393	15.8% ±1.1	17.9% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	8,704 ±606	24.6% ±1.7	9.3% ±0.4	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	8,471 ±396	24.0% ±1.1	25.2% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,987 ±321	16.9% ±0.9	23.3% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	4,736 ±361	13.4% ±1.0	18.0% ±0.3	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $70,064 ±$6,292, and income per person $35,295 ±$1,429, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,081 ±$888 in South Dakota and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Brookings County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	South Dakota	United States
Under $25,000	2,175 ±371	15.8% ±2.7	14.0% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,526 ±386	18.3% ±2.8	18.5% ±0.5	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,604 ±414	18.9% ±3.0	17.4% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,498 ±306	10.9% ±2.2	14.6% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,900 ±392	21.0% ±2.8	18.9% ±0.5	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,286 ±260	9.3% ±1.9	8.5% ±0.3	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	809 ±145	5.9% ±1.0	8.1% ±0.4	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Brookings County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	South Dakota	United States
All ages	4,236 ±620	13.2% ±1.9	11.9% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	355 ±172	4.8% ±2.3	14.3% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	3,369 ±465	18.3% ±2.4	11.8% ±0.5	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	512 ±182	8.0% ±2.8	9.7% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Brookings County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Brookings County	South Dakota	United States
Housing units	15,179 ±63	408,584 ±422	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	90.9% ±1.8	89.5% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	9.1% ±1.8	10.5% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	57.2% ±2.5	68.6% ±0.5	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	42.8% ±3.0	31.4% ±0.5	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$264,600 ±$11,840	$257,400 ±$3,051	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$901 ±$83	$946 ±$11	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1983 ±4	1980 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Brookings County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1,609 ±0	4.6% ±<0.1	4.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	30,925 ±106	87.5% ±0.3	79.8% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	371 ±131	1.0% ±0.4	2.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,160 ±104	3.3% ±0.3	1.4% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	277 ±77	0.8% ±0.2	7.1% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 22	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 24	0% to 0.1%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,001 ±205	2.8% ±0.6	4.4% ±0.2	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Brookings County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Born in the state	18,903 ±706	53.5% ±2.0	62.4% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	13,652 ±708	38.6% ±2.0	32.9% ±0.4	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	614 ±283	1.7% ±0.8	0.7% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	2,184 ±432	6.2% ±1.2	4.0% ±0.2	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	590 ±222	1.7% ±0.6	1.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,594 ±451	4.5% ±1.3	2.3% ±0.2	6.8% ±<0.1

Brookings County among the counties of South Dakota

4th of 66 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the South Dakota page.

Counties of South Dakota near Brookings County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Minnehaha County	212,691	+7.6%
Pennington County	116,792	+6.6%
Lincoln County	77,145	+17.5%
Brookings County	37,635	+9.6%
Brown County	37,561	−1.7%
Meade County	30,711	+2.7%
Codington County	29,562	+4.3%
Lawrence County	29,459	+14.0%
Yankton County	23,635	+1.5%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026