Brookings County, South Dakota

Brookings County is a county in South Dakota, United States, on the state’s eastern border with Minnesota. It had a population of 34,375 at the 2020 census and covers 805 square miles (2,085 km2) centred near 44°22′N 96°47′W.

Brookings is the county seat, and its postal code is 57006. The county has six cities and three towns, plus several unincorporated communities and Hutterite colonies. It lies in the Central time zone and forms the core of the Brookings Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Towns & Villages in Brookings County

Brookings County has 19 named places on record: six cities, three towns, four Hutterite colonies classified as census-designated places, and six smaller unincorporated communities. “City” and “Town” are the county’s two incorporated classes under South Dakota law; CDPs and Unincorp. places have no municipal government of their own.

Arlington sits mostly across the line in neighboring Kingsbury County; only a small part of the city reaches into Brookings County. Medary was the county’s first seat, from 1871 until county government moved to Brookings in 1879 — it survives today only as a small unincorporated place near the county’s namesake city.

ZIP Codes

• 57006 — Brookings (also serves South Dakota State University)
• 57071 — Volga
• 57026 — Elkton

The county’s smaller towns and unincorporated places share ZIP codes with the nearest post office town rather than carrying their own.

Geography

Brookings County sits on the Coteau des Prairies, a raised plateau of gently sloping farmland dotted with glacial lakes and ponds, most numerous in the western part of the county. Lake Poinsett, one of South Dakota’s largest natural lakes, straddles the Brookings–Hamlin county line in the county’s northwest. Farmland — mostly corn and soybeans — covers the great majority of the county’s 792 square miles of land.

Brookings County borders Deuel County to the north, Hamlin County to the northwest, Kingsbury County to the west, Lake County to the southwest, Moody County to the south, and, across the state line, Pipestone County, Minnesota, to the southeast and Lincoln County, Minnesota, to the east. Verified sibling pages on this site: Deuel County, Lake County, and Lincoln County, Minnesota.

Demographics

Brookings County had 34,375 residents at the 2020 census, working out to roughly 43 people per square mile of land. Brookings, home to South Dakota State University, and Volga are the county’s two largest communities by a wide margin. South Dakota has no state income tax, and county-level median household income figures are not separately verified here; statewide, the South Dakota median household income was $71,810 (2023 American Community Survey) — a Brookings County-specific figure was not confirmed for this profile.

Economy & Local Life

South Dakota State University, in Brookings, is the county’s largest employer and anchors the county’s economy alongside row-crop agriculture. Daktronics, the electronic-display and scoreboard manufacturer, is headquartered in Brookings and is one of the city’s major private employers. Agriculture — corn, soybeans, and cattle — remains the primary land use outside the Brookings–Volga corridor.

History

Brookings County was created by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862 and formally organized on July 3, 1871. It was named for Wilmot Wood Brookings (1830–1905), a Dakota Territory politician, judge, and early pioneer of southeastern Dakota Territory. Medary served as the first county seat from 1871 until 1879, when county government moved to the newly platted town of Brookings, sited along the new railroad line. South Dakota Agricultural College, now South Dakota State University, was founded in Brookings in 1881 and has shaped the city’s economy and identity ever since.

Getting There

Interstate 29 runs north–south through the eastern part of Brookings County, with U.S. Highways 14 and 81 crossing the county as well.

• Sioux Falls — about 50 miles south
• Watertown — about 35 miles north
• Volga — about 8 miles west of Brookings
• Madison — about 30 miles southwest

Brookings Regional Airport serves general aviation locally; the nearest major commercial airport is Sioux Falls Regional Airport (Joe Foss Field), about 50 miles to the south.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Brookings County, South Dakota?
It is in eastern South Dakota, on the Minnesota border, about 50 miles north of Sioux Falls.

What is the population of Brookings County?
Brookings County had a population of 34,375 at the 2020 census, South Dakota’s fifth-most populous county.

How big is Brookings County?
The county covers 805 square miles (2,085 km2), of which 792 square miles is land.

What is the county seat of Brookings County?
Brookings is the county seat and, at 23,377 residents, its largest city.

How many towns and cities are in Brookings County?
Six cities (Brookings, Volga, Elkton, White, Bruce, and Arlington) and three towns (Aurora, Bushnell, and Sinai), plus several Hutterite colonies and unincorporated places.

What ZIP codes are in Brookings County?
Confirmed ZIP codes include 57006 (Brookings), 57071 (Volga), and 57026 (Elkton).

What is Brookings County known for?
It is home to South Dakota State University and to Daktronics, the scoreboard and display manufacturer headquartered in Brookings.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Dakota.