Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Brown County, SD

Welcome to Brown County.

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Brown County is the fourth most populous, out of a total of 66 counties, in the state of South Dakota.

Total GDP for the county increased 44%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $3 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Brown County voted five out of six times for Republicans and only once for a Democratic candidate.

Brown County comprises Aberdeen, SD micropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Aberdeen.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Dickey County, Sargent County, Day County, Edmunds County, Faulk County, McPherson County, Marshall County, and Spink County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
43.33%54.72%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
42.71%55.84%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
52.4%46.76%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
45.12%51.79%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
33.83%59.66%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
37.26%60.3%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%44%
Government
Enterprises
9%17%
Private Industries91%47%
Agriculture9%1616%
Mining<1%154%
Utilities1%114%
Construction4%13%
Manufacturing14%22%
– Durable9%-5%
– Nondurable5%91%
Trade19%41%
– Wholesale10%51%
– Retail9%32%
Transportation3%54%
Information3%29%
Finance & Insurance5%9%
Real Estate9%21%
Professional &
Business Services
5%21%
Educational Services1%34%
Healthcare &
Social Services
10%11%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%68%
Accommodation &
Food Services
4%18%
Other Services22%26%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers916
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
45
📺 Electronics & Appliance713
🛒 Grocery Stores1223
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores
⚕️ Health & Personal Care1426
⛽ Gasoline Stations2125
👕 Clothing Stores1223
👠 Shoe Stores44
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry
🏸 Sporting Goods715
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores710
💐 Florists
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops48
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies
🍺 Bars & Taverns1535
🍽️ Full-service restaurants2529
🍔 Limited-service restaurants2729
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers1323
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation2345
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%117%$286,500 N/A
Top 20%44%$184,200 $185,700
Next highest 20%25%$104,100 $124,500
Middle 20%16%$66,300 $83,500
Second lowest 20%11%$44,100 $53,000
Bottom 20%4%$17,200 $32,400
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries81%$76,900
Self-Employment12%$34,900
Investment Income121%$17,900
Social Security25%$21,600
Supplemental Security1%$10,700
Public AssistanceLess than 1%Below $10,000
Retirement17%$36,000
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
3%3%3%7%
$25K
– $49K
2%6%5%6%
$50K
– $99K
2%12%11%9%
$100K
– $199K
<1%10%11%4%
$200K
& more
<1%2%3%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$38,400 $29,800
African-American$26,100
Hispanic$45,600 $30,300
Asian$16,200
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$21,800 $14,900
Highschool & GED$46,000 $34,600
Some College to
Associate’s
$50,800 $40,400
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$52,200 $46,500
Graduate Degree$72,100 $62,700
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$56,200 $48,300
STEM2$57,800 $52,000
Gray-Collar3$46,800 $20,000
Pink-Collar4$18,900 $18,800
Sales5$38,500 $15,900
Blue-Collar6$41,300 $33,900
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves++++$
Drought+
Earthquake+$
Hail++$
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane
Ice Storm+$
Landslide+
Lightning+$
Riverine Flooding++$$
Strong Wind++$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+$
Winter Weather+++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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ZIP Codes in Brown County