County · South Dakota

Brown County, South Dakota

Brown County, South Dakota. Brown County had 37,561 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.9% since 2020, while South Dakota grew 5.5%. It holds 59 places (10 cities, villages and boroughs, 43 towns and townships and 6 census-designated) and 8 census tracts. GEOID 46013.

Brown County is one of the 2 counties of the Aberdeen, SD micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

37,561

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 38,301 · ACS 2020-2024: 37,877

Median household income

$70,898

±$3,639 (90% margin)
South Dakota: $75,081

Median home value

$221,100

±$13,102 (90% margin)
South Dakota: $257,400

Median gross rent

$777

±$36 (90% margin)
South Dakota: $946

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

The 2020 Census counted 38,301 residents in Brown County. The Census Bureau estimates 37,561 for July 1, 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, while South Dakota grew 5.5%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 37,877 over 1,713 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −97 (38,133)
2021→2022 −188 (37,945)
2022→2023 −266 (37,679)
2023→2024 −58 (37,621)
2024→2025 −60 (37,561)

Brown County in South Dakota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Brown County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	37,877	907,428	−1,038
Households	16,285±330	365,544	no clear change
Average household size	2.26±0.05	2.39	no clear change
Housing units	18,090±42	408,584	no clear change

Brown County's population since 2000

From 35,460 in 2000 to 37,561 in 2025: up 5.9%. 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 35,460
2005 (estimate) 35,441
2010 Census 36,531
2015 (estimate) 38,434
2020 Census 38,301
2025 (estimate) 37,561

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 59 places: 10 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 43 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 6 census-designated places. The largest is Aberdeen with 27,961 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%.

Aberdeen	city	28,495	28,189±42	$64,405	$217,300	13.8%	100%
Groton	city	1,380	1,691±396	$89,861	$190,600	4.3%	100%
Lincoln Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601337260	township	1,165	1,598±477	$79,040	$242,900	11.9%	100%
Aberdeen TownshipGEOID 4601300140	township	935	548±223	$96,667	$444,100	19.0%	100%
Bath TownshipGEOID 4601303940	township	742	446±192	$86,250	$333,600	9.9%	100%
Warner	town	485	512±130	$113,750	$268,100	0.4%	100%
Warner TownshipGEOID 4601368780	township	473	282±105	$89,028	$168,800	0.0%	100%
Ravinia TownshipGEOID 4601353180	township	350	348±129	$141,667	$619,000	0.0%	100%
Prairiewood VillageGEOID 4651724	CDP	303	474±336	$160,625	$476,700	0.0%	100%
Ordway TownshipGEOID 4601347420	township	254	118±96	not published	$189,700	0.0%	100%
Gem TownshipGEOID 4601324020	township	217	245±166	$74,389	$345,900	0.0%	100%
Frederick	town	215	160±50	$76,667	$85,000	11.3%	100%
HeclaGEOID 4627980	city	193	182±89	not published	$47,100	2.7%	100%
Mercier TownshipGEOID 4601342020	township	190	121±58	$81,250	$292,300	0.0%	100%
ColumbiaGEOID 4613420	city	160	161±62	$58,295	$96,500	4.3%	100%
BathGEOID 4603900	CDP	142	91±85	$33,750	not published	48.4%	100%
Garden Prairie TownshipGEOID 4601323500	township	139	91±99	not published	not published	14.3%	100%
Groton TownshipGEOID 4601326380	township	128	98±88	$103,718	$162,200	0.0%	100%
Cambria TownshipGEOID 4601309180	township	119	89±82	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
East Hanson TownshipGEOID 4601317820	township	118	47±50	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Claremont TownshipGEOID 4601312140	township	114	291±302	$121,118	not published	0.0%	100%
Brainard TownshipGEOID 4601306700	township	114	93±62	$87,083	not published	15.6%	100%
ClaremontGEOID 4612100	town	108	106±46	$46,250	not published	9.4%	100%
New Hope TownshipGEOID 4601344980	township	107	80±38	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Oneota TownshipGEOID 4601347100	township	103	107±76	$93,750	$290,000	1.9%	100%
Henry Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601328100	township	102	52±50	$43,650	$223,000	0.0%	100%
Columbia TownshipGEOID 4601313460	township	96	41±61	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Hutterville ColonyGEOID 4631196	CDP	95	13±18	not published	not published	100.0%	100%
Westport TownshipGEOID 4601370580	township	92	56±30	$75,385	$220,000	12.5%	100%
Putney TownshipGEOID 4601352460	township	91	40±38	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
WestportGEOID 4670540	town	88	93±82	$58,942	$101,700	0.0%	100%
Palmyra TownshipGEOID 4601348260	township	82	61±38	$74,861	not published	0.0%	100%
West Rondell TownshipGEOID 4601370620	township	82	54±51	not published	$229,500	0.0%	100%
East Rondell TownshipGEOID 4601317900	township	76	146±83	$141,458	$246,900	0.0%	100%
Shelby TownshipGEOID 4601358380	township	76	91±72	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Garland TownshipGEOID 4601323780	township	72	20±24	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Highland Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601328660	township	71	130±122	$143,500	$373,300	0.0%	100%
South Detroit TownshipGEOID 4601359840	township	67	30±29	$250,000 or more	$306,300	0.0%	100%
Liberty Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601336780	township	64	20±28	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
StratfordGEOID 4662020	town	57	62±41	$58,125	$69,300	0.0%	100%
Frederick TownshipGEOID 4601322900	township	55	39±25	$118,333	$154,200	0.0%	100%
Riverside Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601354980	township	54	93±82	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
West Hanson TownshipGEOID 4601370380	township	54	11±14	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
North Detroit TownshipGEOID 4601345540	township	52	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Bath CornerGEOID 4603960	CDP	51	72±60	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
MansfieldGEOID 4640580	CDP	86	12±10	$51,250	not published	0.0%	59%
Richland Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601354500	township	45	52±37	not published	$119,400	11.5%	100%
FerneyGEOID 4621380	CDP	42	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Greenfield TownshipGEOID 4601325820	township	42	270±321	not published	not published	4.1%	100%
Osceola Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601347740	township	38	44±39	$80,625	not published	0.0%	100%
Bates Township, Brown CountyGEOID 4601303780	township	37	49±39	not published	not published	55.1%	100%
Portage TownshipGEOID 4601351380	township	36	21±32	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Carlisle TownshipGEOID 4601309860	township	35	13±15	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Franklyn TownshipGEOID 4601322820	township	32	28±18	not published	$600,000	0.0%	100%
Hecla TownshipGEOID 4601328020	township	28	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Lansing TownshipGEOID 4601335860	township	25	249±259	$183,092	not published	3.6%	100%
Savo TownshipGEOID 4601357660	township	21	17±18	not published	$262,500	0.0%	100%
Allison TownshipGEOID 4601300980	township	21	14±20	not published	not published	85.7%	100%
VerdonGEOID 4666660	town	3	4±6	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 37.8 years old; 23.6% are under 18 and 17.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 84.7%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.7%. 4.3% 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	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	37.8±0.5	38.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	23.6%±0.6 pts	24.2%	–
65 years and over	17.8%±0.1 pts	18.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.7%	4.8%	+1.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	84.7%±0.2 pts	79.8%	−2.4 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.3%±0.6 pts	2.1%	−0.9 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	2.9%±0.4 pts	1.4%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	2.9%±0.5 pts	7.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.2 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.4%±1.0 pts	4.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	4.3%±1.0 pts	4.0%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.6%±1.2 pts	7.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.6%±0.9 pts	7.9%	–
With a disability	13.6%±1.4 pts	12.5%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.7%±1.1 pts	9.0%	−2.6 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.7%±1.3 pts	93.2%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	33.8%±2.3 pts	31.9%	+4.4 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	11.1%±1.9 pts	10.0%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.9%±0.8 pts	3.2%	–

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 16,285 households earn less than $70,898 a year (±$3,639), against $75,081 in South Dakota. In 2015-2019 it was $71,646 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 11.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Brown County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$70,898±$3,639	$75,081	no clear change
Mean household income	$92,772±$5,233	$98,527	–
Per capita income	$40,863±$2,124	$40,550	no clear change
People below the poverty line	11.7%±1.5 pts	11.9%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	12.2%±2.8 pts	14.3%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	8.8%±2.1 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.5%±2.3 pts	89.6%	–

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 67.6% of Brown County's occupied homes and renters 32.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $221,100 by its owner (±$13,102). The median renter pays $777 a month including utilities, and 35.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Brown County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$221,100±$13,102	$257,400	+$15,820
Median gross rent	$777±$36	$946	−$78
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	35.1%±5.4 pts	30.4%	+7.4 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,541±$71	$1,680	–
Owner-occupied homes	67.6%±2.5 pts	68.6%	+3.6 pts
Housing units	18,090±42	408,584	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.4%±0.9 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	9.1%±3.6 pts	6.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	63.1%±2.8 pts	66.9%	–
Mobile homes	5.0%±1.3 pts	7.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.3%±0.6 pts	2.3%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	20.7%±2.4 pts	15.8%	–

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 169 new housing units across Brown County in 2025 (65 single-family), 4.5 per 1,000 residents.

2019 68 units
2020 79 units
2021 95 units
2022 263 units
2023 63 units
2024 85 units
2025 169 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?

79.3% of Brown County's workers drive alone and 6.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 13.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.3%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Brown County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	68.1%±1.8 pts	67.2%	–
Unemployment rate	3.3%±1.1 pts	2.9%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	79.3%±2.9 pts	77.0%	–
Carpooled	9.7%±1.7 pts	8.3%	–
Public transportation	0.5%±0.5 pts	0.5%	–
Walked	3.1%±1.2 pts	3.1%	–
Worked from home	6.3%±1.5 pts	9.7%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	13.9 min±0.9	17.8 min	no clear change

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 $41,603 (Tract 9515) to $100,792 (Tract 9519).

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

Tract 951346013951300	Aberdeen (74%)	6,006	5,515±603	$84,259	$271,000	$821	13.1%
Tract 951446013951400	Aberdeen (82%)	7,414	7,042±703	$71,027	$248,800	$829	8.7%
Tract 951546013951500	Aberdeen	2,270	2,202±395	$41,603	$142,500	$553	33.6%
Tract 951646013951600	Aberdeen	4,587	4,847±431	$57,546	$166,800	$699	16.2%
Tract 951746013951700	Aberdeen (71%)	4,425	4,712±508	$82,750	$218,900	$979	11.0%
Tract 951846013951800	Aberdeen (83%)	6,143	6,163±675	$59,324	$244,300	$723	13.1%
Tract 951946013951900	Groton (13%)	3,380	3,258±462	$100,792	$223,600	$1,002	3.5%
Tract 952046013952000	Hecla (3%)	4,076	4,138±465	$86,250	$214,600	$947	4.4%

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 South Dakota's other counties?

Brown County's rank among South Dakota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	4th of 66
Growth 2020-2025	55th of 66
Residents per square mile	12th of 66
Median household income	36th of 66
Median home value	18th of 66
Median gross rent	30th of 65
Poverty rate	26th of 65
Bachelor's degree or higher	10th of 66
Median age	47th of 66

Every county in South Dakota

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.