Living in Brookings, SD
Brookings is a small city of 23,948 people in Brookings County, South Dakota. It's about 53 miles from Sioux Falls, SD and 179 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 36 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $266k and rent runs about $889 a month.
23,948people
$266kTypical home
$889/moRent
81° / 22°Summer / winter
36"Snow
238Sunny days
105Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small city of 23,948
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 1,716 people per sq mi
- 179 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 53 mi to Sioux Falls, SD
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $266k (≈$1,674/mo)
- Median rent $889/mo
- Median household income $63k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 22°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 57°F)
- 238 sunny days a year (77 totally clear)
- 127 cloudy days a year
- 37 of 90 winter days are gray
- 105 days a year with rain or snow
- 36" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 62 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (111 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (852 per 100k)
People
- Median age 25
- 21% of households have kids
- 12% are 65 or older
- 47% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 29% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 14 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 46 mi to ATY airport
- 180 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 156 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 56% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1986
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,660 ft
- 866 mi to the ocean
- 90 mi to a big lake
- 36 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 51 mi to the nearest ski area
- 14 mi to the nearest campground
- 6 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 32 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 13 bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 6 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 52 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 43% of South Dakota districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 1 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 31 mi to the nearest dog park
- 9 congregations per 10k people
- 2 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Brookings County: R+17 in 2024
- South Dakota: R+29 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk