2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Chicago, IL vs Brookings, SD

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Highlights
- Household income in Brookings, is 17% less than it is in Chicago and is 26% below the National Average.
- Chicago unemployment rate is 9.0%.
- Brookings unemployment rate is 3.1%.
 Chicago, ILBrookings, SDUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth25.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes10.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$41,821  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$54,676$69,021
 Family Median Income$79,434  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Chicago, ILBrookings, SDUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock10.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.6%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock16.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.5%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.7%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock15.8%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K7.7%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock2.4%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Chicago, ILBrookings, SDUnited States
 Management, business, finance19.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock10.9%6.5%
 Community, social services2.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.4%1.2%
 Education, library6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.8%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement3.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.6%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.4%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.5%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support19.3%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock2.2%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock15.4%13.1%
Reviews for Chicago    270 Reviews

I've lived in Chicago city and later moved to suburbs when family size increased. Absolutely love this city. This is the cleanest and most beautiful among the major  More

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Chicago is probably the best value in a major city that you can find and my personal favorite city. It will become increasingly important as climate change makes the  More

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I've live on north side and south side, UIC medical center. Don't move here go to the north side. No good amenities, if you get bored with one there is no other choices.  More

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Reviews for Brookings    5 Reviews

The 165-foot tall Coughlin Campanile in Brookings, SD, can be seen from miles away, marking Brookings, South Dakota, home of South Dakota State University. The  More

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Over 16 years ago

Nice Midwestern  More

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i am originally from arizona, abandoned here by my ex husband. being a minority in the area is not the best idea as this city is slow to accept new comers to the area.  More

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