Brookings County Demographics

A map of Brookings County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	30,925	29,922	87.5%	87.0%
Hispanic	1,609	1,427	4.6%	4.2%
Asian	1,160	912	3.3%	2.7%
Multiracial	1,001	1,037	2.8%	3.0%
Black	371	628	1.0%	1.8%
Native American/Other	287	449	0.8%	1.3%

Brookings County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 35,353, a slight increase from the 34,375 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 87.5% White, 4.6% Hispanic, 3.3% Asian, 2.8% Multiracial, 1.0% Black, and 0.8% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Brookings County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Brookings has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than South Dakota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Brookings County, that probability was 23.8% in 2020 and 23.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Brookings County is ranked the 5th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Brookings County was ranked the 5th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Brookings County's White Population

30,925 residents of Brookings County, or 87.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Brookings County is higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Brookings County ranks 36th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brookings County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.4%. White residents' share of Brookings County's population has increased from 87.0% to 87.5%.

Brookings County is more White than neighboring Moody County (73.9% White). Brookings County is less White than neighboring Deuel County (93.9% White), Lake County (88.8% White), Hamlin County (91.2% White), and Lincoln County (93.8% White).

Brookings County's Black Population

371 residents of Brookings County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Brookings County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Brookings County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brookings County's Black population has declined by an estimated 40.9%. Black residents' share of Brookings County's population has decreased from 1.8% to 1.0%.

Brookings County is more Black than neighboring Moody County (0.2% Black), Deuel County (0.5% Black), Lake County (0.7% Black), Hamlin County (0.1% Black), and Lincoln County (0.1% Black).

Brookings County's Asian Population

1,160 residents of Brookings County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Brookings County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Brookings County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brookings County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 27.2%. Asian residents' share of Brookings County's population has increased from 2.7% to 3.3%.

Brookings County is more Asian than neighboring Moody County (1.7% Asian), Deuel County (0.1% Asian), Lake County (0.7% Asian), Hamlin County (0.3% Asian), and Lincoln County (0.7% Asian).

Brookings County's Hispanic Population

1,609 residents of Brookings County, or 4.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Brookings County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Brookings County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brookings County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 12.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Brookings County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.6%.

Brookings County is more Hispanic than neighboring Deuel County (3.1% Hispanic), and Lincoln County (2.6% Hispanic). Brookings County is less Hispanic than neighboring Moody County (5.8% Hispanic), Lake County (5.3% Hispanic), and Hamlin County (5.9% Hispanic).

Brookings County's Native American/Other Population

287 residents of Brookings County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Brookings County is lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Brookings County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brookings County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 36.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Brookings County's population has decreased from 1.3% to 0.8%.

Brookings County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Deuel County (0% Native American/Other), Hamlin County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Lincoln County (0.3% Native American/Other). Brookings County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Moody County (12.5% Native American/Other), and Lake County (2.9% Native American/Other).

Brookings County's Multiracial Population

1,001 residents of Brookings County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Brookings County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Brookings County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brookings County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 3.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Brookings County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

Brookings County is more Multiracial than neighboring Deuel County (2.4% Multiracial), Lake County (1.5% Multiracial), Hamlin County (2.2% Multiracial), and Lincoln County (2.4% Multiracial). Brookings County is less Multiracial than neighboring Moody County (5.9% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.