Rank

177of 3,144

Brookings, South Dakota

Score 7.43 / 10· population 35,980

About 36,000 people live in Brookings, South Dakota. It ranks #177 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #44 of 66 in South Dakota. The combined sales tax is 4.2%, lower than in 92% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.11% of a home's value each year, more than in 77% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 81% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 72% of counties. Life expectancy is at least 80 years, longer than in 91% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 51% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 41), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 65% of counties. On this site's state scores, South Dakota gets 8.18 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values