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Brookings County, South Dakota facts for kids

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Brookings County
Brookings County Courthouse in Brookings
Brookings County Courthouse in Brookings
Map of South Dakota highlighting Brookings County
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
Map of the United States highlighting South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  South Dakota
Founded 1862 (created)
July 3, 1871 (organized)
Named for Wilmot Wood Brookings
Seat Brookings
Largest city Brookings
Area
 • Total 805 sq mi (2,080 km2)
 • Land 792 sq mi (2,050 km2)
 • Water 13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 34,375
 • Estimate 
(2021)
34,639 Increase
 • Density 42.702/sq mi (16.487/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district At-large

Brookings County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 34,375, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Brookings. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1871.

Brookings County comprises the Brookings, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was founded July 3, 1871, and was named after Wilmot Wood Brookings (1830 - 1905), a politician and pioneer of southeastern South Dakota. Medary was the first county seat for eight years from 1871-1879

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 805 square miles (2,080 km2), of which 782 square miles (2,030 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.6%) is water.

Lakes

  • Brush Lake
  • Johnson Lake
  • Lake Campbell
  • Lake Goldsmith
  • Lake Poinsett
  • Lake Sinai
  • Lake Tetonkaha
  • Oakwood Lake

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 163
1880 4,965 2,946.0%
1890 10,132 104.1%
1900 12,561 24.0%
1910 14,178 12.9%
1920 16,119 13.7%
1930 16,847 4.5%
1940 16,560 −1.7%
1950 17,851 7.8%
1960 20,046 12.3%
1970 22,158 10.5%
1980 24,332 9.8%
1990 25,207 3.6%
2000 28,220 12.0%
2010 31,965 13.3%
2020 34,375 7.5%
2021 (est.) 34,639 8.4%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 31,965 people, 12,029 households, and 6,623 families in the county. The population density was 40.3 inhabitants per square mile (15.6/km2). There were 13,137 housing units at an average density of 16.6 per square mile (6.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.2% white, 2.7% Asian, 0.9% American Indian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 47.9% were German, 24.3% were Norwegian, 11.9% were Irish, 6.9% were English, 6.1% were Dutch, and 2.0% were American.

Of the 12,029 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.9% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 26.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,134 and the median income for a family was $63,338. Males had a median income of $40,425 versus $30,023 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,995. About 5.9% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

  • Brookings Regional Airport
  • Arlington Municipal Airport

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

The county is divided into twenty-three townships:

  • Afton
  • Alton
  • Argo
  • Aurora
  • Bangor
  • Brookings
  • Elkton
  • Eureka
  • Lake Hendricks
  • Lake Sinai
  • Laketon
  • Medary
  • Oaklake
  • Oakwood
  • Oslo
  • Parnell
  • Preston
  • Richland
  • Sherman
  • Sterling
  • Trenton
  • Volga
  • Winsor

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Brookings para niños

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