Brown County, Kansas: commercial real estate data.
Brown County, Kansas had an estimated 9,142 residents on July 1, 2024, down 3.8 percent since the 2020 census base of 9,507, across 571 square miles. County output reached $702.1 m in 2024, 277 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 4 7(a) approvals worth $3.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Brown County
How many people live in Brown County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20249,343
- Households3,794
- Average household size2.46
- Median household income$62,233
- Median age41.7
- Median gross rent$646 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$118,100
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over6,456
- Population under 182,333
- Share under 1825.0 percent
- Population 65 and over2,088
- Share 65 and over22.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,922
- Civilian labor force4,578
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.3 percent
- Rank by population among Kansas counties42nd of 105
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2540th of 3,222
Brown County is the 42nd largest of 105 Kansas counties by population. A median home costs 1.9 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.0 percent against 22.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Brown County
Is Brown County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20249,142
- Census 2020 base population9,507
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.84 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-125
- Births, 202493
- Deaths, 2024127
- Natural change, 2024-34
- Net domestic migration, 2024-113
- Net international migration, 202423
- Total net migration, 2024-90
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-199
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2879th of 3,144
The county has lost 3.84 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Brown County
Where are people moving to Brown County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving198
- People arriving, from those returns358
- Tax returns filed by households leaving211
- Net household movement-13
- Adjusted gross income arriving$8.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-467,000
- Average income of an arriving household$43,995
- Average income of a leaving household$43,498
- Largest single originNemaha County (29 households)
- Largest single destinationNemaha County (23 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemaha County | 29 | 53 | $1.2 m |
Households arriving report $497 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Nemaha County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Brown County
What is the Brown County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$702.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$677.6 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.6 percent
- GDP change over five years26.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Kansas areas BEA publishes40th of 105
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2134th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$75,150
Output grew 3.6 percent in the latest year and 26.0 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Brown County
Employment by industry in Brown County
- Covered employment, annual average4,493
- Establishments reporting339
- Average annual pay$50,553
- Average weekly wage$972
- Manufacturing, employment933
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$75,699
- Retail trade, employment426
- Retail trade, average annual pay$29,561
- Wholesale trade, employment166
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$84,777
- Finance and insurance, employment153
- Finance and insurance, average annual pay$58,971
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment122
- Construction, employment98
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 933 | 22 | $75,699 |
| Retail trade | 426 | 29 | $29,561 |
| Wholesale trade | 166 | 22 | $84,777 |
| Finance and insurance | 153 | 18 | $58,971 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 122 | 22 | $64,448 |
| Construction | 98 | 31 | $36,716 |
| Information | 64 | 6 | $60,790 |
| Other services, except public administration | 44 | 22 | $39,634 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 933 jobs, 20.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Brown County
How many businesses are in Brown County?
- Establishments, all industries277
- Employment at those establishments3,268
- Annual payroll$161.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Brown County
Building permits in Brown County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Brown County
SBA loans in Brown County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded4
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$3.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$892,250
- Median 7(a) approval$599,500
- Largest single approval$2,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)49
- Jobs per approval12.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer100.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter0
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals25.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Brown County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Brown County
Do SBA loans in Brown County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Brown County
SBA lending by place in Brown County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending3
- Hiawatha, approvals2
- Horton, approvals1
- Sabetha, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha | 2 | $970,000 |
| Horton | 1 | $2,000,000 |
| Sabetha | 1 | $599,000 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Brown County
How large is Brown County?
- Land area571 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kansas counties91st of 105
- Width, east to west23.9 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land16
- Establishments per square mile0.49
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Brown County
Flood risk in Brown County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Brown County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 200026
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book11
- Of those, participating in the NFIP8
- NFIP participation rate72.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Brown County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Brown County (community 200026), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Brown County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 72.7 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Brown County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Brown County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20249,343
- Households3,794
- Average household size2.46
- Median household income$62,233
- Median age41.7
Common questions
Brown County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Brown County, Kansas?
The Census Bureau estimates 9,142 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 9,343, in 3,794 households, ranking 42nd of 105 Kansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Brown County's population growing?
The population has fallen 3.84 percent since the 2020 census base of 9,507, to 9,142 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 93 births against 127 deaths, with net migration of -90. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Brown County?
$62,233. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $118,100, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $646 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Brown County?
277 establishments, employing 3,268 people with an annual payroll of $161.1 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Brown County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 933 jobs, 20.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 4,493 jobs at an average annual pay of $50,553, or $972 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Brown County?
4 7(a) approvals totaling $3.6 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $599,500. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Brown County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Brown County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Brown County come from?
The largest single origin is Nemaha County, with 29 households. Arriving households report an average income of $43,995 against $43,498 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Brown County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Brown County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Brown County
Cities and places in Brown.
17 Census places lie wholly or partly in Brown County. 16 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha | city | 3,197 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Sabetha | city | 2,471 | 1 | 43.6 percent here, 56.4 percent Nemaha County |
| Horton | city | 1,610 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Everest | city | 356 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fairview | city | 342 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Morrill | city | 210 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kickapoo Site 5 | CDP | 161 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Robinson | city | 154 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kickapoo Tribal Center | CDP | 128 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Powhattan | city | 74 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kickapoo Site 7 | CDP | 64 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kickapoo Site 1 | CDP | 48 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Reserve | city | 48 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Willis | city | 35 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kickapoo Site 2 | CDP | 15 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Hamlin | city | 14 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kickapoo Site 6 | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby