BROOKINGS — Population growth in Brookings, coupled with a steady increase in jobs in the area, were among the highlights delivered at the Brookings Economic Summit on May 5.
The city has 25,031 year-round residents, a total projected to increase even more this year to 25,356, according to information presented by the Brookings Regional Growth Alliance at the gathering of business and community leaders.
While that number is attractive, even better numbers showed up regarding jobs: From 2020 through 2025, an increase of 8.4% was recorded, a boost paired with a 63% labor force participation rate.
“I like that term better than unemployment. It measures all of the people who are in the workforce,” BRGA CEO Lori Frederick told the crowd of more than 100 guests. “We’re never going to hit 100%. We want people to retire and enjoy life. We don’t want them to work forever.”
She said the unemployment percentage that most people are familiar with measures only people actively looking for work over the past four weeks.
“If they quit looking for a position six weeks ago, they’re no longer counted,” Frederick said. “(Labor force participation) for me is a more accurate measurement of how many people and what are our workforce opportunities.”
Folks eager to work certainly have a lot of options, too, with Frederick pointing out that Brookings County has roughly 1,400 businesses. Most of them are small as well, employing less than 50 people. Specifically:
• 65.9%: Less than 10 employees.
• 30.2%: Between 10 and 49 workers.
• 2.3%: Between 50 and 99 employees.
• 1.6%: Over 100 workers.
People with jobs — and there’s 19,667 of them in the county, per the BRGA — tend to spend their well-earned paychecks in the community, and that shows up in one area that is sure to please city leaders in Brookings: municipal tax revenue.
Last year, that tax revenue added up to $22.17 million, an increase from $21.75 million in 2024 and $19.57 million in 2023.
A growing population needs places to live, too, and it was evident in the number of housing units built over the last several years in Brookings: 316 last year, 137 in 2024, 190 in 2023 and 311 in 2022 — mainly apartments, but single-family residences, townhomes and duplexes were also part of the mix.
The Brookings Economic Dashboard discussed at the May 5 summit at the Dacotah Bank Center had some interesting totals in it, too:
Economic strength and workforce
• 1.8%: Unemployment rate.
• $1,096: Average weekly wage per capita.
Affordability and financial health
• $63,493: Median household income.
• 19.03%: Housing cost burden.
• 0.797: Cost of living index (U.S. is 1).
• 16.9%: Poverty rate.
• 6.2%: Population under age 65 doesn’t have health insurance.
Homeownership and housing
• $265,500: Median value of an owner-occupied housing unit.
• 47.7%: Owner-occupied housing.
• $889: Median gross rent.
• 4.18: Home price-to-income ratio.
Education and talent pipeline
• 33.05%: Early childhood education enrollment.
• 97.5%: High school graduation rate.
• 47.5%: Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 544.49: Graduate students per 10,000 residents.
• 5.08%: Employment in the professional services industry.
‘Something very special’
While Frederick hails most recently from the Rapid City area, she isn’t unfamiliar with Brookings. That’s because she spent years in Brookings as a student at South Dakota State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. In the time since then, Frederick maintained her SDSU ties, serving on the alumni association board.
“I knew community pride. I knew Brookings had it. I knew SDSU had it. I did not realize the extent — you have something very special here,” she said. “Your people care. You all care. And that is very special. I have yet to meet anyone who did not tell me, ‘I absolutely love living in Brookings.’”
One experience in particular stood out to Frederick.
“I asked a young girl who did my nails, ‘Why Brookings?’ She could live anywhere,” she remembered. “She said, ‘I just really like the community. It has what I need.’ That’s special, very special.”
Looking ahead
Frederick said that, over the course of the year ahead, BRGA will focus on strengthening regional collaboration across Brookings County and throughout the region. It will also pursue strategic funding opportunities — public/private partnerships and how to play together to get things done.
“We want to build a resilient, diversified economy,” she added. “We already have a great base on that; we want to continue to build on it.”
Furthermore, BRGA will work to ensure alignment between economic growth and community well-being.
“Whatever happens in economic development, it has to fit for us,” Frederick said. “And, overall, we may not always agree what that is, or we may not agree the path to take us there, but I think we all agree that we have to look at the overall betterment of our region and our community.”
She also spoke to the importance of talent retention, not only in the here and now, but also in the future.
“Strong communities are the foundation for economic success and talent retention,” Frederick said. “Talent retention isn’t necessarily for us in this room — (it’s) for the generations to come. That’s what economic development is about: What are we doing now that supports the growth we see here, and the growth for the next generations.”
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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