Brown County, Wisconsin: commercial real estate data.
Brown County, Wisconsin had an estimated 273,909 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.9 percent since the 2020 census base of 268,746, across 530 square miles. County output reached $25.71 bn in 2024, 6,722 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 349 7(a) approvals worth $170.3 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 2020-2024270,892
- Households110,933
- Average household size2.44
- Median household income$79,649
- Median age38.2
- Median gross rent$1,031 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$266,000
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher33.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over183,605
- Population under 1862,260
- Share under 1823.0 percent
- Population 65 and over44,324
- Share 65 and over16.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64164,308
- Civilian labor force146,759
- Unemployment rate2.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over70.3 percent
- Rank by population among Wisconsin counties4th of 72
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included265th of 3,222
Brown County is the 4th largest of 72 Wisconsin counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.0 percent against 16.4 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, 2024273,909
- Census 2020 base population268,746
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.92 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20241,835
- Births, 20243,002
- Deaths, 20242,339
- Natural change, 2024663
- Net domestic migration, 2024259
- Net international migration, 2024898
- Total net migration, 20241,157
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202430
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1190th of 3,144
The county has grown 1.92 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
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 arriving5,865
- People arriving, from those returns9,346
- Tax returns filed by households leaving5,819
- Net household movement46
- Adjusted gross income arriving$357.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-41.7 m
- Average income of an arriving household$60,994
- Average income of a leaving household$68,642
- Largest single originOutagamie County (595 households)
- Largest single destinationOutagamie County (669 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outagamie County | 595 | 944 | $32.0 m |
| Oconto County | 369 | 578 | $21.2 m |
| Winnebago County | 245 | 352 | $13.0 m |
| Milwaukee County | 243 | 361 | $13.6 m |
| Manitowoc County | 231 | 334 | $11.9 m |
| Kewaunee County | 227 | 371 | $11.3 m |
| Shawano County | 166 | 275 | $7.1 m |
| Marinette County | 155 | 230 | $6.9 m |
Households arriving report $7,648 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Outagamie 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$25.71 bn
- County GDP, 2023$24.18 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.3 percent
- GDP change over five years31.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Wisconsin areas BEA publishes4th of 72
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes219th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$94,904
Output grew 6.3 percent in the latest year and 31.2 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 average157,834
- Establishments reporting7,615
- Average annual pay$63,349
- Average weekly wage$1,218
- Manufacturing, employment28,647
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$68,216
- Health care and social assistance, employment24,050
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$65,945
- Retail trade, employment15,350
- Retail trade, average annual pay$35,921
- Accommodation and food services, employment12,605
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$21,908
- Wholesale trade, employment8,292
- Construction, employment7,927
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 28,647 | 446 | $68,216 |
| Health care and social assistance | 24,050 | 1,268 | $65,945 |
| Retail trade | 15,350 | 775 | $35,921 |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,605 | 651 | $21,908 |
| Wholesale trade | 8,292 | 460 | $78,531 |
| Construction | 7,927 | 711 | $78,926 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 7,286 | 250 | $61,896 |
| Finance and insurance | 6,564 | 465 | $92,614 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 28,647 jobs, 18.2 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 industries6,722
- Employment at those establishments142,969
- Annual payroll$8.80 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.8
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, 20241,587
- Declared construction value permitted$440.9 m
- Single family units authorized539
- Multifamily units authorized1,048
- Multifamily share of units66.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$277,802
- Units authorized per 1,000 households14.3
Multifamily is 66.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Brown County
SBA loans in Brown County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded349
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$170.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$487,915
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$40,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,188,800
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)3,959
- Jobs per approval11.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active62
- Distinct industries receiving approvals137
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer10.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms35
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter290
- Franchise loans54
- Franchise share of approvals15.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (15)
- Most active lenderNicolet National Bank (56)
- 504 approvals recorded184
- 504 gross approval dollars$166.3 m
- Average 504 approval$903,630
- Median 504 approval$585,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval9.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.8
- Most active CDCWBD, Inc. (157)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$336.6 m
The average approval of $487,915 sits well above the median of $250,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 10.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 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 recorded67
- Paid in full66
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans1.5 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure230
- Status: Paid in full66
- Status: Cancelled37
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed15
Of the 67 loans that have reached a final outcome, 1.5 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
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 lending14
- Green Bay, approvals218
- De Pere, approvals61
- Suamico, approvals20
- New Franken, approvals13
- Pulaski, approvals7
- Wrightstown, approvals7
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay | 218 | $106,421,500 |
| De Pere | 61 | $28,562,400 |
| Suamico | 20 | $7,881,300 |
| New Franken | 13 | $12,183,000 |
| Pulaski | 7 | $4,917,500 |
| Wrightstown | 7 | $2,372,700 |
| Denmark | 6 | $3,190,000 |
| Greenleaf | 6 | $542,000 |
| 6 other borrower cities | 11 | $4,212,000 |
Green Bay accounts for 218 approvals against 61 in De Pere. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
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 area530 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Wisconsin counties56th of 72
- Width, east to west23.8 mi
- Height, north to south30.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land511
- Establishments per square mile12.68
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 550020
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book11
- Of those, participating in the NFIP11
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 6
- Communities carrying a CRS class3
- Radon levels in Brown County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Brown County (community 550020), 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 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 6, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 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 2020-2024270,892
- Households110,933
- Average household size2.44
- Median household income$79,649
- Median age38.2
Common questions
Brown County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Brown County, Wisconsin?
The Census Bureau estimates 273,909 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 270,892, in 110,933 households, ranking 4th of 72 Wisconsin counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Brown County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.92 percent since the 2020 census base of 268,746, to 273,909 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 3,002 births against 2,339 deaths, with net migration of 1,157. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Brown County?
$79,649. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $266,000, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,031 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Brown County?
6,722 establishments, employing 142,969 people with an annual payroll of $8.80 bn. 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 28,647 jobs, 18.2 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 157,834 jobs at an average annual pay of $63,349, or $1,218 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?
349 7(a) approvals totaling $170.3 m since FY2020, across 62 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000, plus 184 504 approvals worth $166.3 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Brown County get paid back?
Of the 67 loans that have reached a final outcome, 66 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge-off rate of 1.5 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Brown County?
1,587 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $440.9 m. Multifamily was 66.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Brown County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 Outagamie County, with 595 households. Arriving households report an average income of $60,994 against $68,642 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.
13 Census places lie wholly or partly in Brown County. All 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay | city | 106,253 | 218 | Wholly in this county |
| De Pere | city | 25,301 | 61 | Wholly in this county |
| Howard | village | 21,087 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ashwaubenon | village | 17,314 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Bellevue | village | 16,442 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Allouez | village | 13,975 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Suamico | village | 12,985 | 20 | Wholly in this county |
| Hobart | village | 10,610 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Pulaski | village | 4,006 | 7 | 81.4 percent here, 13.0 percent Oconto County, 5.6 percent Shawano County |
| Wrightstown | village | 3,322 | 7 | 76.3 percent here, 23.7 percent Outagamie County |
| Denmark | village | 2,558 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Greenleaf | CDP | 865 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Dyckesville | CDP | 391 | None recorded | 55.3 percent here, 44.7 percent Kewaunee County |
A further 16 of the county's 349 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Brown County, the largest being New Franken (13), Kaukauna (1), Henderson (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby