I-29 corridor · eastern South Dakota

Brookings

South Dakota · 25,355 people

Fifty minutes from Sioux Falls on I-29, with a downtown people actually walk, and an ag heritage museum that explains the whole region.

Photo: Visit Brookings

Population: 25,355 (2025 est.)
Growth since 2020: +8.5%
University: South Dakota State University
State income tax: None in South Dakota

The place

Brookings is home to South Dakota State University and to Daktronics, the scoreboard and display manufacturer headquartered in the city. Add 3M, Larson Manufacturing and a Bel Brands cheese plant, and you have a town of 25,000 with a genuinely industrial job list — and one of the fastest growth rates on the corridor.

South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum — the region's story in one building.
A walkable downtown along Main Avenue with independent restaurants.
College-town energy: SDSU athletics, arts and events all year.
Family parks, picnic space and trails throughout the city.
Fifty minutes to Sioux Falls when you want a bigger night out.

Getting around

Sioux Falls, SD: ~50 minutes
Watertown, SD: ~1 hour
Minneapolis, MN: ~2h40
Fargo, ND: ~3 hours

Housing

A university town's mix: rental supply around campus, established family neighbourhoods, and new subdivisions keeping pace with 8.5% growth. No state income tax on top of a manufacturing wage.

The community, as it photographs itself

Main streets, festivals, working days.

South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum in Brookings · Visit Brookings

Downtown Brookings gardens in summer · Visit Brookings

Downtown Brookings storefronts · Visit Brookings

Who hires here

The employer base, sector by sector.

South Dakota State University

Education

The state's largest university and the city's largest employer.

Daktronics

Electronics manufacturing

Headquartered in Brookings; scoreboards and displays worldwide.

3M Brookings

Manufacturing

Long-standing plant in the city.

Larson Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Storm doors and building products.

Bel Brands USA

Food processing

Cheese production plant.

Brookings Health System

Healthcare

Hospital, emergency department and imaging services.

Healthcare

Brookings Health System — hospital with an emergency department and radiology/nuclear-medicine imaging.
Clinics and specialty services in town, with Sioux Falls tertiary care under an hour away.
SDSU's nursing and pharmacy programs supply the regional talent pipeline.

Schools and training

South Dakota State University — undergraduate and graduate programs across ag, engineering, nursing and pharmacy.
Brookings School District for K-12.
Technical training and apprenticeships tied to the city's manufacturers.

Arriving here

You will not be the first.

SDSU brings international students, faculty and their families into a city of 25,000.
A growing local food scene reflects that mix, from taquerias to campus-adjacent restaurants.
Statewide resettlement and new-American services run out of Sioux Falls, under an hour south.

A year in Brookings

SDSU game days · Autumn & winter: Jackrabbits football and basketball fill the city.
Back to Campus season · Late August: The city's annual restart, with downtown promotions and events.
Downtown summer programming · June–August: Markets, music and street events along Main Avenue.