Brown County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Brown County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
B
Income Around average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Brown County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,800 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 41.7 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.24% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.2 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,021 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Brown County grew by 0.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 25,800 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Brown County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.3% of residents. That is 0.6 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,123 19.9% -1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,542 17.6% -4.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,228 20.3% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,188 20.1% +3.6 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 Minnesota, 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 50.2% of the people living in Brown County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.8% Minnesota 50.0%
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 | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,882 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.17% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Brown County is about 22% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Brown County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $371,428 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $889 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.9% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Brown County is about 34.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $889 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Brown County spend about 21 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 88 hours, about 3.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Brown County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 10.6 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 21.1 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 88 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,726 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,749 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 363 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Brown County is 11 minutes, shorter than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
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 D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Brown County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.2% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.23 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Brown County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Brown County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.3 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.0% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Brown County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Brown County, MN compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, MN | 25,800 | $69,882 #2/2 | $371,428 #1/2 | 10.6 min #1/2 |
| Nicollet County, MN | 34,262 | $79,826 | $170,076 | 13.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Brown County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Brown County, Minnesota?
About 25,800 people live in Brown County, Minnesota, in 11,021 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 43.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Brown County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Brown County, Minnesota has 42 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 48% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Brown County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 5.3 times the median household income ($371,428 against $69,882), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $889 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Brown County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Brown County, Minnesota is only 2.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Brown County, Minnesota?
22.2% of adults in Brown County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →