Unemployment in Brookings County, South Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Brookings County, 2.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brookings County's score
In Brookings County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 23.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 3.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Brookings County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Brookings County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 23.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th percentile
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- 16.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.0% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability9.2% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,653 · 202427th percentile
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- 10.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.8% · August 20252nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.5 · 202519th percentile
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- 3.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.0% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.5% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 3.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20261st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.4% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Brookings County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Brookings County, 13.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brookings County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Brookings County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 13.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Brookings County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Brookings County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.0% in 2011 to 8.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Brookings County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Brookings County, South Dakota.
How Brookings County has changed
Brookings County's population nearly doubled to 36,359, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 31,729. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Brookings County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Brookings County doubled to 19,542, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 15,485. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Brookings County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 2.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,827 | 2024 $75,653 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Brookings County's history
1862
1862 (created) July 3, 1871 (organized). Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A thunderstorm in May 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail in June 2001 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in July 2002 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,375, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brookings County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Brookings County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Brookings County, in South Dakota and Minnesota, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Brookings County ranks 6th of the seven; Lincoln County is highest, at 28.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, MN | 17 | 12.3% | 28.0% |
| Moody County, SD | 14 | 10.1% | 15.9% |
| Lake County, SD | 4 | 8.8% | 13.3% |
| Kingsbury County, SD | 0 | 9.0% | 19.0% |
| Brookings County, SD | 0 | 10.8% | 13.5% |
| Deuel County, SD | 0 | 8.6% | 16.3% |
| Hamlin County, SD | 0 | 8.2% | 15.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Brookings County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Brookings County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 37th highest of 66 in South Dakota (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Ziebach County, at 45.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Brookings County ranks 61st of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brookings County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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CCCS of LSS - South Dakota
HUD-approved housing counselor
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East River Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Brookings County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Brookings County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.