New Study Shows Brookings Health System Generated $56 Million in 2024 to Local Economy

A new study conducted by the Center for Rural Vitality and Community Well-Being at South Dakota State University and commissioned by Brookings Health System demonstrates how the rural community hospital not only provides essential access to care for rural residents, but also drives the local economy. 

The study, “The Impacts of Brookings Health System on the Economy of Brookings County and Rural Health in South Dakota,” shows Brookings Health System generated $56 million in 2024 alone to the Brookings regional economy in relation to wealth and job creation. 

The study used data from 2020-2024 Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages through the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Brookings Health’s 2020-2024 employment and payroll data. Research results showed that from 2020 to 2024, Brookings Health directly employed nearly 40 percent of Brookings County’s local government operated education and healthcare sector and supported 60 percent of the sector’s payroll. When considering indirect ripple effects, Brookings Health’s presence supported approximately 1,000 local jobs over the five-year period, accounting for approximately five percent of the county’s total employment. Total payroll supported with the ripple effects for the same period equaled approximately $245 million.

“Brookings Health System’s presence in our region is directly linked to our area’s vitality and the standard of living for our regional residents,” said CEO and President Jason Merkley. “As this study demonstrates, by providing high-quality, compassionate, personalized health care, Brookings Health creates both employment opportunities in Brookings and access to necessary medical services.”

Individuals interested in reading the full study may find it online at brookingshealth.org/Impact.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, municipal health system that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.