Ivan Cobel House · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0Brookings runs its own hospital
Brookings’ city government spent $28.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,189 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($67.8 million) and water utilities ($39.7 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Brookings is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,189 per resident a year, or $3.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$950 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them
Brookings’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($950 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 South Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,291, and the middle half spent $836–$1,647. Brookings spent less than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Brookings itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 21% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Brookings reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $950 · 2023: $1,046 · 2024: $1,189.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 254 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,097 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.17% of the home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Brookings’ rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Brookings’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brookings →
Who’s in charge in Brookings
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 92 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (23,993).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Brookings School District 05-1
Brookings’ K–12 school district, shared with Aurora, Aurora Township, Bushnell, Medary Township, Trenton Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,882 per pupil, $7,730 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
South Dakota districts overall: 50% local, 31% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Brookings’ votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brookings alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brookings County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.4%8,575 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.0%5,978 votesOthers: 2.6% (386 votes).
Most votes in Brookings County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Brookings lies in Brookings County. Every 2024 race in Brookings County is on the county’s page.
Brookings County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Brookings.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2South Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3South Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Brookings compares with the towns next door
Brookings spent $950 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $11 to $114. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Brookings Township | $11 | $3,471 |
| Aurora Township | $114 | $3,773 |
| Medary Township | estimate | $3,286 |
| Trenton Township | estimate | $5,515 |
| Brookings | $950 | $3,097 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Brookings’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Brookings’ government
How much does Brookings spend per resident?
About $1,189 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Brookings also runs a hospital ($67.8 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $950 was less than 70% of 23 South Dakota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Brookings?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,097 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.17% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Brookings’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brookings yet.
How did Brookings vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Brookings alone. Brookings County, where 100% of Brookings lies, voted Trump 57.4%, Harris 40.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Brookings?
262 full-time and 367 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 274 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $4.3M (about $51.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Brookings in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Tim Reed) and State House District 7 (Mellissa Heermann and Roger DeGroot). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Brookings’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →