County food-access profile · South Dakota
Brookings County, SD
Brookings County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 45.4%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 4.4%
- on SNAP
- 35K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
45.4% of Brookings County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.2%
- below poverty line
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).
Brookings County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 45.4% is well above the national share. 6 of the county's 6 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 14,496 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,257 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Brookings County compares nationally
Brookings County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 45.4% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #279 most-affected nationwide.
Brookings County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 6 census tracts in Brookings County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Brookings County vs. other South Dakota counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Dakota
- Brookings
Brookings County, SD
45.4 % low-access
- Aurora
Aurora County, SD
70.4 % low-access
- Beadle 29
Beadle County, SD
29 % low-access
- Bennett
Bennett County, SD
39.2 % low-access
- Bon Homme
Bon Homme County, SD
80.2 % low-access
- Brown
Brown County, SD
42.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 31,965 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,496 |
| Low-Access Share | 45.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,257 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 35,353 |
| Median Household Income | $70,064 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.2%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 610 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 9.2% |
About 4.4% of Brookings County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 45.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 610 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Brookings County
well above the national share
2 of Brookings County's 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 33.3% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 14,496 residents, roughly 45.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,257 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
SNAP retailers in Brookings County
Brookings County has 22 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 12 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 12
- casey's 1694, brookings
- casey's 2198, brookings
- casey's 2419, brookings
- casey's 3810, volga
- cenex zip trip 63, brookings
- cenex zip trip 64, brookings
- corner pantry 19, brookings
- fast and fresh 1039, brookings
- flavor international grocery, brookings
- kwik star 1718, brookings
- schoons pump n pak north, brookings
- schoons pump n pak south, brookings
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar general 15455, volga
- dollar tree 4462, brookings
- lewis drug 12, brookings
Super Store · 2
- hy-vee food store 1039, brookings
- walmart 1538, brookings
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza sd009, brookings
Farmers' Market · 1
- brookings farmers market, brookings
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- elkton locker & grocery, elkton
Small Grocery Store · 1
- el tapatio, brookings
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 72149, brookings
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Dakota
Compare Brookings County vs Aurora County → · All South Dakota counties →
Food access nationally, South Dakota in context
Brookings County sits inside South Dakota (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Brookings County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Brookings County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Brookings County? ▼
Is Brookings County a food desert? ▼
What share of Brookings County households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.