County · Minnesota

Brown County, Minnesota

Brown County, Minnesota. Brown County had 25,517 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.5% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. It holds 25 places (7 cities, villages and boroughs, 16 towns and townships and 2 census-designated) and 8 census tracts. GEOID 27015.

Brown County is the county of the New Ulm, MN micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

25,517

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 25,912 · ACS 2020-2024: 25,800

Median household income

$69,378

±$3,150 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$191,200

±$11,015 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

$890

±$72 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280

How many people live in Brown County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 25,912 residents in Brown County. The Census Bureau estimates 25,517 for July 1, 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 25,800 over 611 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −4 (25,904)
2021→2022 −201 (25,703)
2022→2023 −75 (25,628)
2023→2024 −57 (25,571)
2024→2025 −54 (25,517)

Brown County in Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Brown County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	25,800	5,739,445	+637
Households	11,027±178	2,307,955	no clear change
Average household size	2.23±0.04	2.43	no clear change
Housing units	11,827±44	2,545,030	no clear change

Brown County's population since 2000

From 26,911 in 2000 to 25,517 in 2025: down 5.2%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 26,911
2005 (estimate) 26,260
2010 Census 25,893
2015 (estimate) 25,246
2020 Census 25,912
2025 (estimate) 25,517

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Brown County?

Brown County holds 25 places: 7 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 16 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is New Ulm with 13,863 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Brown County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

New Ulm	city	14,120	14,056±24	$64,449	$204,200	9.2%	100%
Sleepy Eye	city	3,452	3,444±41	$66,911	$147,600	7.8%	100%
Springfield	city	2,027	2,125±240	$59,434	$122,300	11.8%	100%
Cottonwood Township	township	856	861±119	$84,219	$246,500	7.3%	100%
Milford Township	township	691	760±141	$87,083	$292,800	6.8%	100%
Home TownshipGEOID 2701529960	township	495	489±137	$100,000	$304,500	1.4%	100%
Hanska	city	382	380±65	$70,000	$89,500	13.2%	100%
Comfrey	city	392	338±72	$61,875	$96,300	13.3%	96%
Sigel Township	township	348	299±47	$95,179	$262,500	2.7%	100%
Lake Hanska Township	township	336	276±48	$93,625	$279,700	2.6%	100%
Albin TownshipGEOID 2701500748	township	311	249±59	$81,250	$308,300	9.6%	100%
Stark TownshipGEOID 2701562518	township	301	224±51	$86,250	$296,400	4.5%	100%
Linden TownshipGEOID 2701537214	township	291	299±80	$94,375	$291,300	1.7%	100%
Leavenworth TownshipGEOID 2701536116	township	271	291±77	$87,813	$246,900	9.3%	100%
North Star Township, Brown CountyGEOID 2701547248	township	268	273±86	$96,094	$266,300	2.9%	100%
Burnstown TownshipGEOID 2701508776	township	262	316±86	$98,654	$341,900	0.3%	100%
Prairieville TownshipGEOID 2701552342	township	228	278±89	$120,000	$241,700	1.1%	100%
Bashaw TownshipGEOID 2701503826	township	221	188±45	$51,250	$180,400	10.1%	100%
Eden Township, Brown County	township	214	206±62	$84,643	$293,800	3.4%	100%
SearlesGEOID 2759116	CDP	192	201±39	$80,625	$191,100	1.0%	100%
Mulligan TownshipGEOID 2701544746	township	180	269±77	$100,417	$235,000	8.6%	100%
Stately TownshipGEOID 2701562590	township	174	92±41	$47,500	$225,000	18.5%	100%
EvanGEOID 2719880	city	70	89±41	$51,250	$54,000	12.4%	100%
EssigGEOID 2719754	CDP	49	76±57	not published	$160,900	31.6%	100%
CobdenGEOID 2712394	city	36	12±12	not published	not published	0.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Brown County?

The median resident of Brown County is 42.0 years old; 21.9% are under 18 and 22.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 91.4%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 5.1%. 2.9% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Brown County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	42.0±0.7	38.8	no clear change
Under 18 years	21.9%±0.3 pts	22.9%	–
65 years and over	22.2%±0.2 pts	17.3%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.1%	6.4%	+0.7 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	91.4%±0.5 pts	75.9%	−2.0 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.1 pts	6.9%	+0.2 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.1 pts	5.1%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.7%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1.4%±0.3 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.4 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	2.9%±0.6 pts	8.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	5.0%±0.7 pts	12.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.6%±0.7 pts	5.9%	–
With a disability	11.3%±0.9 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.6%±0.9 pts	4.7%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.8%±0.9 pts	93.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	24.5%±1.6 pts	39.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.0%±1.2 pts	13.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.3%±0.4 pts	1.8%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Brown County earn?

Half of Brown County's 11,027 households earn less than $69,378 a year (±$3,150), against $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 the median was $75,220 in 2024 dollars, so it fell by $5,842 after inflation. 8.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Brown County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$69,378±$3,150	$89,062	−$5,842
Mean household income	$86,644±$2,755	$118,304	–
Per capita income	$37,653±$1,052	$48,237	no clear change
People below the poverty line	8.5%±1.1 pts	9.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	6.2%±2.3 pts	10.3%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	6.5%±1.3 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	86.8%±1.9 pts	91.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Brown County?

Owners occupy 78.9% of Brown County's occupied homes and renters 21.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $191,200 by its owner (±$11,015). The median renter pays $890 a month including utilities, and 32.5% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Brown County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$191,200±$11,015	$329,300	+$16,565
Median gross rent	$890±$72	$1,280	+$116
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	32.5%±6.2 pts	38.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,392±$45	$1,947	–
Owner-occupied homes	78.9%±1.7 pts	72.2%	no clear change
Housing units	11,827±44	2,545,030	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.8%±0.6 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	2.2%±1.8 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	80.5%±2.1 pts	66.0%	–
Mobile homes	3.1%±1.0 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.5%±0.3 pts	1.9%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	30.1%±2.0 pts	15.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Brown County building?

Builders took permits for 33 new housing units across Brown County in 2025 (25 single-family), 1.3 per 1,000 residents.

2019 37 units
2020 45 units
2021 19 units
2022 61 units
2023 22 units
2024 35 units
2025 33 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Brown County get to work?

79.8% of Brown County's workers drive alone and 7.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 14.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Brown County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	65.6%±1.4 pts	68.1%	–
Unemployment rate	2.9%±1.1 pts	4.1%	+1.3 pts
Drove alone to work	79.8%±1.9 pts	68.9%	–
Carpooled	6.8%±1.2 pts	7.5%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.3 pts	1.8%	–
Walked	4.8%±0.9 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	7.3%±1.2 pts	17.6%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	14.6 min±0.7	22.7 min	−1.4 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Brown County's census tracts?

Brown County is divided into 8 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $51,154 (Tract 9601.02) to $84,403 (Tract 9602).

Census tracts of Brown County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 9601.0127015960101	New Ulm	1,893	1,830±191	$54,681	$155,100	$929	12.4%
Tract 9601.0227015960102	New Ulm (90%)	1,274	1,178±145	$51,154	$166,700	$1,074	20.8%
Tract 960227015960200	New Ulm	4,565	4,707±374	$84,403	$212,500	$1,160	5.3%
Tract 960327015960300	New Ulm	3,232	3,341±273	$59,545	$186,400	$1,032	8.0%
Tract 960427015960400	New Ulm (22%)	4,740	4,762±317	$71,860	$272,000	$866	7.5%
Tract 960527015960500	Sleepy Eye (85%)	3,685	3,625±75	$67,831	$151,800	$783	7.4%
Tract 960627015960600	Springfield (39%)	3,103	3,089±189	$61,513	$136,100	$807	10.9%
Tract 960727015960700	Hanska (7%)	3,420	3,268±186	$81,250	$252,700	$592	6.6%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Brown County compare with Minnesota's other counties?

Brown County's rank among Minnesota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	40th of 87
Growth 2020-2025	68th of 87
Residents per square mile	32nd of 87
Median household income	72nd of 87
Median home value	59th of 87
Median gross rent	45th of 87
Poverty rate	65th of 87
Bachelor's degree or higher	46th of 87
Median age	41st of 87

Every county in Minnesota

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Brown County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.