• county
  • FIPS 27015
  • Largest town: New Ulm

Brown County, Minnesota

Brown County had 25,710 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 611.1 square miles of land. It ranks 41st of 87 in Minnesota by population and 51st by land area.

Population
25,710
#41 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,597 in US
Area
611.1 sq mi
#51 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,583 in US
Density
42 / sq mi
#33 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,628 in US
Median household income
$71,884
#42 of 87 in Minnesota · #864 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Brown County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Brown County

Brown County population, land area and income

Brown County had 25,710 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 611.1 square miles of land. It ranks 41st of 87 in Minnesota by population and 51st by land area. That works out to 42.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Brown County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,884 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

25,710

3144th1st

1597th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

611 sq mi

3144th1st

1583rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

42.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

1628th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$71,884

3143rd1st

864th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

25,710

87th1st

41st of 87 (MN)

Land area

611 sq mi

87th1st

51st of 87 (MN)

Density

42.1 / sq mi

87th1st

33rd of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$71,884

87th1st

42nd of 87 (MN)

How Brown County's population changed since 2020

Brown County lost 201 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.8%. That ranks 57th of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Brown County recorded 1,136 births and 1,328 deaths, a natural change of -192. Net international migration added +145 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -168. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 192 people.

25.9k202025.9k202125.8k202225.7k202325.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,136
Deaths
1,328
Net international migration
+145
Net domestic migration
-168
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+11

Where Brown County is

The Census internal point of Brown County is at 44.246500, -94.733600. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Brown County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Brown County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
44.246500, -94.733600
DMS
44°14'47.40"N 94°44'0.96"W
UTM
15N 361586.3E 4900713.0N
Geohash
9zuesqc4e
Plus code
86P767W8+JH

Towns in Brown County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Brown County, 19,454 people together, or 76% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Brown County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is New Ulm with 13,970.

  1. 01New Ulm13,970
  2. 02Sleepy Eye3,489
  3. 03Springfield1,995
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Brown County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Brown County. The most populous is Blue Earth County, MN, with 70,700 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 94.0 miles ENE of Brown County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Minneapolis, MN (population 428,579), 87.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is New Ulm, MN (population 13,970), 13.9 miles away.

Brown County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Brown County is 27015: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 015. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,884.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Brown County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 25,710. That is down 201 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 25,911.

What is the FIPS code of Brown County?

27015. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (015) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Brown County?

New Ulm, with 13,970 residents inside Brown County in 2024.

Which counties border Brown County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Blue Earth County, MN; Nicollet County, MN; Redwood County, MN; Renville County, MN; Cottonwood County, MN; Watonwan County, MN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.