Brown County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Brown County, IN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 78% of counties in Indiana
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 91% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Brown County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 15,606 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 49.3 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.53% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 51.9 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,781 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Brown County grew by 6.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15,606 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Brown County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 26.0% of residents. That is 9.3 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,485 15.9% -6.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,679 17.2% -4.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,794 24.3% +4.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,062 26.0% +9.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Indiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Brown County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 49.6% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Brown County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Brown County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Brown County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,317 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.06% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Brown County is about 9% higher than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Brown County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $336,585 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $894 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.6% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Brown County is about 31.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $894 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Brown County spend about 65 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 272 hours, about 11.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Brown County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.6 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 65.3 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 272 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,432 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.6% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,636 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,577 | 1,308 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Indiana:
Knox County (15.8 min), Howard County (15.9 min), Daviess County (16.3 min).
Slowest:
Crawford County (33.6 min), Brown County (32.6 min), Franklin County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Brown County is 33 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Indiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Brown County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Brown County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.5% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.4), Boone County (0.4), Monroe County (0.3).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.1), Crawford County (0.2), Switzerland County (0.2).
Health
Brown County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Brown County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.9% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.8), Daviess County (0.8), Switzerland County (0.8).
Brown County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Brown County, IN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 15,606 residents against a local median of 83,536. Brown County, IN's median home price, at $336,585, runs 104% above the $164,655 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 32.6 min against a local median of 18.6 min, 76% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 76% above the local median it puts Brown County, IN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $103,643 on median home price, so Brown County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brown County, IN has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, IN | 15,606 | $78,317 #4/6 | $336,585 #1/6 | 32.6 min #6/6 |
| Monroe County, IN | 140,965 | $65,876 | $252,326 | 16.9 min |
| Johnson County, IN | 166,315 | $90,779 | $161,827 | 23.5 min |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 83,536 | $79,839 | $148,683 | 17.6 min |
| Jackson County, IN | 46,660 | $70,834 | $164,655 | 18.6 min |
| Morgan County, IN | 72,659 | $81,024 | $169,852 | 30.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Brown County, Indiana.
How big is Brown County, Indiana by population?
About 15,606 people live in Brown County, Indiana, in 6,781 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 51.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 15 years.
Is Brown County, Indiana urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Brown County, Indiana has 49 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 57% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Brown County, Indiana?
The median home costs 4.3 times the median household income ($336,585 against $78,317), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $894 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Brown County, Indiana?
Unemployment in Brown County, Indiana is only 2.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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