Best Legal Studies Schools Near Brookings, SD (2026)

Brookings, South Dakota is home to about 23,710 residents. Median household income is $61,979 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In South Dakota, the top-earning legal studies-related role is Lawyer at a median $102,040 annually (BLS, May 2025).


The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer legal studies programs near Brookings, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Brookings city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Dakota schools on the South Dakota legal studies page.


OccupationMedian Annual Wage (South Dakota, statewide)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$58,320
Lawyer$102,040
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$47,790

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Brookings at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population23,710Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$61,979Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+49.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)


Frequently Asked Questions

Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles in South Dakota are: Lawyer ($102,040), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($58,320), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($47,790). Wages for Brookings workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.

Should I look at programs in Watertown instead of Brookings?

Watertown, SD is 45.7 miles from Brookings and has its own set of local legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Brookings’s median household income of $61,979 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brookings while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Dakota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Other Programs Available in Brookings

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Brookings:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.