Brookings County, South Dakota
Latest: 2020
Leans Republican — 33 presidential elections on record
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 87.5% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(13) | 4.6% |
▶Black / African American(7) | 1.1% |
▶Asian(5) | 3.3% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(3) | 0.3% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 1.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.3% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Mainline Protestant | 19.4% | 38.3% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 18.7% | 36.9% |
| Catholic | 10.4% | 20.6% |
| Other | 2.1% | 4.2% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.1% | 2.1% |
| Non-religious | 49.4% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Trump+13.0 |
| 2016 | Trump+14.7 |
| 2012 | Romney+3.2 |
| 2008 | Obama+5.6 |
| 2004 | Bush+16.6 |
| 2000 | Bush+15.2 |
| 1996 | Dole+0.1 |
| 1992 | Bush+0.4 |
Brookings, South Dakota is a county that has a population of 35,353. In the 2020 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+13.0. Akashic Edge tracks 33 presidential elections here, dating back to 1892.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 41.9% | 54.9% | R+13.0 | D+1.8 |
| 2016 | 38.5% | 53.2% | R+14.7 | R+11.6 |
| 2012 | 47.0% | 50.2% | R+3.2 | R+8.7 |
| 2008 | 51.7% | 46.1% | D+5.6 | D+22.1 |
| 2004 | 40.7% | 57.3% | R+16.6 | R+1.4 |
| 2000 | 41.4% | 56.6% | R+15.2 | R+15.1 |
| 1996 | 45.3% | 45.4% | R+0.1 | D+0.4 |
| 1992 | 38.7% | 39.1% | R+0.4 | D+4.7 |
| 1988 | 47.2% | 52.3% | R+5.2 | D+18.8 |
| 1984 | 37.8% | 61.8% | R+23.9 | R+7.6 |
| 1980 | 35.8% | 52.2% | R+16.3 | R+10.4 |
| 1976 | 46.7% | 52.6% | R+5.9 | R+1.1 |
| 1972 | 47.4% | 52.3% | R+4.8 | D+13.4 |
| 1968 | 39.6% | 57.8% | R+18.2 | R+24.5 |
| 1964 | 53.2% | 46.8% | D+6.3 | D+37.8 |
| 1960 | 34.2% | 65.8% | R+31.5 | D+2.3 |
| 1956 | 33.1% | 66.9% | R+33.8 | D+18.8 |
| 1952 | 23.7% | 76.3% | R+52.6 | R+37.2 |
| 1948 | 42.0% | 57.4% | R+15.4 | D+17.8 |
| 1944 | 33.4% | 66.6% | R+33.2 | — |
What defines Brookings?
Brookings has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography. It has a highly educated electorate (43% college-educated) — a demographic increasingly aligned with Democrats nationwide.
County in State Context
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Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2008, Republicans in 2020
- Highly elastic — margins have ranged 22.2 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate
- College attainment is 43% — 10pp above the national average. Similar education levels correlate with Democratic lean nationally