Brown County, Nebraska: commercial real estate data.
Brown County, Nebraska had an estimated 2,877 residents on July 1, 2024, down 0.9 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,902, across 1,221 square miles. County output reached $265.6 m in 2024, 145 establishments operate here.
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 2020-20242,869
- Households1,275
- Average household size2.25
- Median household income$54,676
- Median age45.7
- Median gross rent$876 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$113,900
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,049
- Population under 18576
- Share under 1820.1 percent
- Population 65 and over789
- Share 65 and over27.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,504
- Civilian labor force1,443
- Unemployment rate1.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.9 percent
- Rank by population among Nebraska counties66th of 93
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3041st of 3,222
Brown County is the 66th largest of 93 Nebraska counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 27.5 percent against 20.1 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Brown County
Is Brown County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20242,877
- Census 2020 base population2,902
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.86 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20240
- Births, 202434
- Deaths, 202432
- Natural change, 20242
- Net domestic migration, 2024-23
- Net international migration, 202420
- Total net migration, 2024-3
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-54
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2144th of 3,144
The county has lost 0.86 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
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 arriving56
- People arriving, from those returns103
- Tax returns filed by households leaving44
- Net household movement12
- Adjusted gross income arriving$3.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$1.1 m
- Average income of an arriving household$57,250
- Average income of a leaving household$48,545
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $8,705 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
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$265.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$275.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-3.6 percent
- GDP change over five years22.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Nebraska areas BEA publishes64th of 93
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2771st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$92,576
Output grew -3.6 percent in the latest year and 22.8 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 average1,388
- Establishments reporting166
- Average annual pay$46,497
- Average weekly wage$894
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment263
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$51,544
- Retail trade, employment159
- Retail trade, average annual pay$28,762
- Health care and social assistance, employment122
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$35,376
- Construction, employment82
- Construction, average annual pay$41,283
- Wholesale trade, employment78
- Manufacturing, employment48
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 263 | 15 | $51,544 |
| Retail trade | 159 | 23 | $28,762 |
| Health care and social assistance | 122 | 16 | $35,376 |
| Construction | 82 | 18 | $41,283 |
| Wholesale trade | 78 | 10 | $67,487 |
| Manufacturing | 48 | 4 | $45,705 |
| Other services, except public administration | 44 | 11 | $28,920 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 21 | 8 | $46,783 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 263 jobs, 18.9 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 industries145
- Employment at those establishments844
- Annual payroll$37.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents50.5
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
How large is Brown County?
- Land area1,221 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Nebraska counties10th of 93
- Width, east to west27.3 mi
- Height, north to south52.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.12
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
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book1
- Of those, participating in the NFIP1
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Brown County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The EPA places Brown County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 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 2020-20242,869
- Households1,275
- Average household size2.25
- Median household income$54,676
- Median age45.7
Common questions
Brown County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Brown County, Nebraska?
The Census Bureau estimates 2,877 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 2,869, in 1,275 households, ranking 66th of 93 Nebraska 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 0.86 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,902, to 2,877 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 34 births against 32 deaths, with net migration of -3. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Brown County?
$54,676. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $113,900, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $876 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Brown County?
145 establishments, employing 844 people with an annual payroll of $37.9 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?
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 263 jobs, 18.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,388 jobs at an average annual pay of $46,497, or $894 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
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 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
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.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Brown County. All 3 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ainsworth | city | 1,697 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Long Pine | city | 363 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Johnstown | village | 12 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby