• county
  • FIPS 31017
  • Largest town: Ainsworth

Brown County, Nebraska

Brown County had 2,877 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,221.4 square miles of land. It ranks 67th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 10th by land area.

Population
2,877
#67 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,965 in US
Area
1,221.4 sq mi
#10 of 93 in Nebraska · #502 in US
Density
2.4 / sq mi
#75 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,955 in US
Median household income
$58,896
#69 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,950 in US

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

Brown County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Brown County

Brown County population, land area and income

Brown County had 2,877 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,221.4 square miles of land. It ranks 67th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 10th by land area. That works out to 2.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents, so Brown County has 47% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $58,896 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

2,877

3144th1st

2965th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,221 sq mi

3144th1st

502nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

2.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

2955th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$58,896

3143rd1st

1950th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

2,877

93rd1st

67th of 93 (NE)

Land area

1,221 sq mi

93rd1st

10th of 93 (NE)

Density

2.4 / sq mi

93rd1st

75th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$58,896

93rd1st

69th of 93 (NE)

How Brown County's population changed since 2020

Brown County lost 26 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.9%. That ranks 51st of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Brown County recorded 154 births and 174 deaths, a natural change of -20. Net international migration added +43 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -48. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 48 people.

2,90320202,92220212,89420222,87720232,8772024
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
154
Deaths
174
Net international migration
+43
Net domestic migration
-48
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+0

Where Brown County is

The Census internal point of Brown County is at 42.359600, -99.923900. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 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.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Brown County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
42.359600, -99.923900
DMS
42°21'34.56"N 99°55'26.04"W
UTM
14N 423916.8E 4690116.8N
Geohash
9z8bypmds
Plus code
86J2935G+RC

Towns in Brown County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Brown County, 1,605 people together, or 56% 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 Ainsworth with 1,605.

  1. 01Ainsworth1,605
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Brown County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Brown County. The most populous is Cherry County, NE, with 5,558 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 198.1 miles ESE of Brown County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 180.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is North Platte, NE (population 22,549), 95.4 miles away.

Brown County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Brown County is 31017: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 017. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $58,896.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Brown County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 2,877. That is down 26 people (0.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 2,903.

What is the FIPS code of Brown County?

31017. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (017) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Brown County?

Ainsworth, with 1,605 residents inside Brown County in 2024.

Which counties border Brown County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Cherry County, NE; Rock County, NE; Keya Paha County, NE; Loup County, NE; Blaine County, NE.

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.