Brown County, Nebraska Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Brown County, NE 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
    Less healthy than 80% of counties in Nebraska
  • C
    Income Below average
    Less wealthy than 80% of counties in Nebraska
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Brown County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Brown County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Population 2,869 1,978,686 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 2.3 25.6 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.60% 0.63% 0.59%
Median age 47.7 38.3 37.3
Households 1,275 797,835 130,235,071

Population in Brown County declined by 9.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,869 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Brown County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Brown County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.5% of residents. That is 9.2 points above Nebraska as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Nebraska, 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 52.2% of the people living in Brown County and men 47.8%.

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2,869

100% of everyone living in Brown County

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Economy

Brown County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.

Metric Brown County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $54,532 $76,615 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.62% 4.27% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.7% 3.0% 5.2%

The median household income in Brown County is about 29% lower than in Nebraska.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Brown County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $83,750 $175,282 $248,835
Median rent $875 $1,071 $1,407
Homeownership rate 74.2% 66.5% 65.2%

The median home price in Brown County is about 8.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $875 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Brown County spend about 16 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 68 hours, about 2.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Brown County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 8.2 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 16.4 34.0 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 68 142 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,116 $4,390 $5,790
Work from home 8.6% 11.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 988 5,179 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 98 691 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in Nebraska: Hooker County (7.4 min), Cherry County (8.0 min), Box Butte County (8.0 min).
Slowest: Cass County (28.0 min), Banner County (27.2 min), Saunders County (26.9 min).

The average commute time in Brown County is 8 minutes, shorter than the 17 minutes in Nebraska.

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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Brown County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Brown County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 21.3% 30.8% 31.6%
Average household size 2.23 2.42 2.53

Highest education index among counties in Nebraska: Sarpy County (0.3), Lancaster County (0.3), Douglas County (0.3).
Lowest: Dakota County (0.2), Colfax County (0.2), Dawson County (0.2).

Health

Brown County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Brown County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 81.6 79.5 78.3
Self-rated poor health 14.9% 12.9% 16.3%
Smokers 17.1% 16.6% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in Nebraska: Wayne County (0.8), Sarpy County (0.8), Lancaster County (0.8).
Lowest: Thurston County (0.8), Pawnee County (0.8), Dundy County (0.8).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Brown County, Nebraska.

How big is Brown County, Nebraska by population?

About 2,869 people live in Brown County, Nebraska, in 1,275 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.

How densely populated is Brown County, Nebraska?

Averaged over its land area, Brown County, Nebraska has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 3% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is Brown County, Nebraska an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($83,750 against $54,532), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $875 a month takes about 19% 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, Nebraska?

Unemployment in Brown County, Nebraska is only 1.7%, 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, Nebraska?

21.3% of adults in Brown County, Nebraska hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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