A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    A
  2. Crime & Safety
    B
  3. Housing
    A-
  4. Nightlife
    A
  5. Good for Families
    A
  6. Diversity
    B-
  7. Jobs
    A-
  8. Weather
    B
  9. Cost of Living
    B+
  10. Health & Fitness
    B+
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A-
  12. Commute
    A
View Full Report Card
Population
22,974

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$159,400
National
$178,600
Median Rent
$664
National
$928
Area Feel
Suburban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    50%
  • Own
    50%

Brookings Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    68
    0
  • Murder
    0
    0
  • Rape
    21
    41
  • Robbery
    17
    0
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    260
    1
  • Theft
    1,332
    2,081
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    77
    0

Residents

Diversity
B-
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$45,175
National
$53,889
Children
14%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    17%
    11%
  • Bachelor's degree
    30%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    25%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    23%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    5%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Colleges
Places like Brookings
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Brookings Reviews

70 reviews
All Categories
Brookings is the perfect college town! It is small enough that it feels homey, yet has all the amenities necessary. The downtown is cute and has a good nightlife. There is a large variety of bars to choose from as well as many cute boutiques to fulfill your shopping needs! For a small town, Brookings has plenty of food choices to choose from, so the small town is not limited in that aspect. Another positive aspect about small town living is the people are close knit so they strongly support the college students. I moved from a bigger city to Brookings expecting the small town life to be boring and for the people not to care about the college, however I was pleasantly surprised after living here for almost four months. Brookings is a family friendly town that truly develops a relationship with students who attend the college. I could definitely see myself living here after I graduate!
Review Brookings
Brookings is an excellent town! It may be a college town, but there is plenty to do for all ages. Brookings has awesome trails and parks to visit on sunny warm days. Brookings has plenty of chain and local restaurants to appease any appetite. Brookings also has a great college and classes to attend at South Dakota State University!
Brookings is a safe, clean and busy town. Having South Dakota State University adds a dimension to this town that most are lacking including Division 1 sports, museums and cultural events. Brookings has a bike/walking path and the city is focus on creating a bike friendly community. The newest public space is the Dakota Nature Park where you can rent snow shoes or kayaks depending on the season.

The shopping is sufficient, but being located only 45 minutes from Sioux Falls allows a quick trip for more options.