# Brookings, South Dakota — #177 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 7.43 of 10. FIPS 46011. Population 35,980. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

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.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 8.18 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.87 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 5.81 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 9.52 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 6.18 |  |
| Property tax | county | 4.45 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 5.16 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 10.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.14 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 8.89 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #33 Hamlin, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46057.md
- #39 Kingsbury, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46077.md
- #12 Deuel, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46039.md
- #240 Lake, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46079.md
- #1354 Lincoln, Minnesota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/27081.md
- #236 Moody, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46101.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/46011
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=46011
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy