Brown County, MN

County

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2024 Population

25,800

US Senator

Amy Klobuchar

Democratic(DFL) Party

US Senator

Tina Smith

Democratic(DFL) Party

2024 Median Age

0.943% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

8.47%

9.84% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$69,378

1% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$191,200

5.23% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

13,200

0.916% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Brown County, MN reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.9% of the residents in Brown County, MN are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Brown County, MN are Martin Luther College (252 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Brown County, MN was $191,200, and the homeownership rate was 78.9%.

Most people in Brown County, MN drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Brown County, MN was 2 cars per household.

Brown County, MN borders Blue Earth County, MN, Cottonwood County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, and Watonwan County, MN.

United States Minnesota New Ulm, MN

Population & Diversity

Brown County, MN is home to a population of 25.8k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.85% of Brown County, MN residents were born outside of the country (735 people).

In 2024, there were 39.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (23.6k people) in Brown County, MN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 603 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 342 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Brown County, MN residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Brown County, MN was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Brown County, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Brown County, MN

White (Non-Hispanic)
23.6k ± 131
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
603 ± 181
Other (Hispanic)
342 ± 131

5.14%

Hispanic Population

1.33k people

5.14% of the people in Brown County, MN are hispanic (1.33k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Brown County, MN as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Minnesota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
61,898 ± 6,075 people
Somalia
36,765 ± 4,692 people
India
31,170 ± 4,323 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Minnesota was Mexico, the natal country of 61,898 Minnesota residents, followed by Somalia with 36,765 and India with 31,170.

Foreign-Born Population

2.85%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

735 people

3.11%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

802 people

As of 2024, 2.85% of Brown County, MN residents (735 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Brown County, MN was 3.11%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Brown County, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
474 ± 85
Gulf War (2001-)
201 ± 69
Korea
93 ± 61

Brown County, MN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.36 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Brown County, MN.

Health

95.4% of the population of Brown County, MN has health coverage, with 55.6% on employee plans, 10.7% on Medicaid, 16.8% on Medicare, 11.6% on non-group plans, and 0.751% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Brown County, MN see 1,076 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,076 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1608 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 434 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.6% were men and 49.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,076 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Brown County, MN

Primary care physicians in Brown County, MN see an average of 1,076 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,076 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Brown County, MN in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.7% under 18 years, 18.4% between 18 and 34 years, 36.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.6% were men and 49.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.58%

Uninsured

55.6%

Employer Coverage

10.7%

Medicaid

16.8%

Medicare

11.6%

Non-Group

0.751%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Brown County, MN grew by 17.3% from 3.9% to 4.58%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Brown County, MN changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 5.05 in Brown County, MN.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brown County, MN.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 39.9% in Brown County, MN.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brown County, MN.

Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 5.01% in Brown County, MN.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brown County, MN.

Economy

The economy of Brown County, MN employs 13.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Brown County, MN were Manufacturing (2,225 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,007 people), and Educational Services (1,458 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($117,688), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($85,417), and Utilities ($78,750).

Employment

Occupations

13.2k

2024 Value

± 597

−0.916%

1 Year decline

± 6.52%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brown County, MN declined at a rate of −0.916%, from 13.3k employees to 13.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Brown County, MN, are Management Occupations (1,388 people), Production Occupations (1,321 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,284 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Brown County, MN.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Minnesota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

13.2k

2024 Value

± 597

−0.916%

1 Year decline

± 6.52%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brown County, MN declined at a rate of −0.916%, from 13.3k employees to 13.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Brown County, MN, are Manufacturing (2,225 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,007 people), and Educational Services (1,458 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Brown County, MN, though some of these residents may live in Brown County, MN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,909

Median earning men ± $1,679

$40,113

Median earning women ± $2,348

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($75,871), Wholesale Trade ($71,875), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,813).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($52,596), Manufacturing ($52,542), and Public Administration ($49,609).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Y-Axis

2.26%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.93M people employed in Minnesota. This represents a 2.26% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Minnesota.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

76
Construction
64
Other Services (except Public Administration)
39
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$174k
Manufacturing
$113k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$79.4k
Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Minnesota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Minnesota is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Brown County, MN. Showing the available data for Minnesota.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (50.9%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (46.7%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (0.738%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Minnesota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Minnesota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Amy Klobuchar

Senator from Minnesota

Assumed office on January 3, 2007
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party and its members are counted as Democrats.

Tina Smith

Senator from Minnesota

Assumed office on January 3, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Al Franken.{{Cite news |url=http://abc7chicago.com/news/franken-to-make-announcement-thursday-as-chorus-grows-for-his-resignation/2747124/ |title=Franken to make announcement Thursday as chorus grows for his resignation |date=December 6, 2017 |work=ABC7 Chicago |access-date=December 9, 2017 }}

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing Minnesota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Minnesota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Brown County, MN awarded 252 degrees. The student population of Brown County, MN in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 390 male students and 488 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Brown County, MN are White (235 and 95.5%), Two or More Races (6 and 2.44%), Black or African American (2 and 0.813%), and Hispanic or Latino (2 and 0.813%).

The largest universities in Brown County, MN by number of degrees awarded are Martin Luther College (252 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Brown County, MN are Elementary Education & Teaching (66 and 26.2%), Other Theology & Religious Vocations (46 and 18.3%), and Pre-Theology & Pre-Ministerial Studies (45 and 17.9%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $18,120.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Brown County, MN, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 88.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 878 (44.4% men and 55.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 878 students enrolled in Brown County, MN, 44.4% men and 55.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 801 records, of which 56.7% were women and 43.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Elementary Education & Teaching
66 degrees awarded
Pre-Theology & Pre-Ministerial Studies
45 degrees awarded
Early Childhood Education & Teaching
17 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Brown County, MN was Elementary Education & Teaching with 66 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Brown County, MN according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Martin Luther College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

252 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Martin Luther College with 252 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 115 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Brown County, MN, which is 0.839 times less than the 137 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 235 degrees mean that there were 39.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 6 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($18,120) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($600) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Brown County, MN was $191,200 in 2024, which is 0.575 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $181,700 to $191,200, a 5.23% increase. The homeownership rate in Brown County, MN is 78.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Brown County, MN have an average commute time of 14.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Brown County, MN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.26% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Brown County, MN. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.44%.

Housing

Property

$191,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,015

$8,700

Median Property Taxes

±$445

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Brown County, MN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Brown County, MN compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

78.9%

Homeownership

2024

63.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 78.9% of the housing units in Brown County, MN were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 79.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Brown County, MN compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$69,378

Median Household Income

± $3,150

11k

Number of Households

± 558

In 2024, the median household income of the 11k households in Brown County, MN grew to $69,378 from the previous year's value of $68,690.

The following chart displays the households in Brown County, MN distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Brown County, MN is from Minnesota.

0.452

2024 Wage GINI in Minnesota

0.454

2023 Wage GINI in Minnesota

In 2024, the income inequality in Minnesota was 0.452 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.568% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Minnesota was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Minnesota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Minnesota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.8%)
Worked At Home (7.27%)
Carpooled (6.78%)

In 2024, 79.8% of workers in Brown County, MN drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.27%) and those who carpooled to work (6.78%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

14.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Brown County, MN have a shorter commute time (14.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.23% of the workforce in Brown County, MN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Brown County, MN compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Brown County, MN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Brown County, MN have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.26% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Brown County, MN. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.44%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

8.47% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Brown County, MN (2.1k out of 24.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Brown County, MN is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 6.8% of the children was living in poverty in Brown County, MN. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.9%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 73.4 in Brown County, MN. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 23.4% per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.