Brown County Demographics

A map of Brown County's Population by Race

Brown County, Kansas has an estimated population of 9,343, a slight decrease from the 9,508 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 81.5% White, 7.3% Native American/Other, 4.7% Hispanic, 4.7% Multiracial, 1.6% Black, and 0.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Brown County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Brown has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Kansas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Brown County, that probability was 33.5% in 2020 and 32.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Brown County is ranked the 42nd most populous county in Kansas, out of 105 counties. Brown County was ranked the 41st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Brown County's White Population

7,616 residents of Brown County, or 81.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Brown County is higher than in Kansas overall, where 72.7% of the population is White. Brown County ranks 73rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Brown County's population has increased from 80.8% to 81.5%.

Brown County is less White than neighboring Richardson County (90.4% White), Atchison County (86.7% White), Doniphan County (88% White), Holt County (93.3% White), and Nemaha County (93.3% White).

Brown County's Black Population

148 residents of Brown County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Brown County is slightly lower than in Kansas overall, where 5.2% of the population is Black. Brown County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Black population has grown by an estimated 52.6%. Black residents' share of Brown County's population has increased from 1.0% to 1.6%.

Brown County is more Black than neighboring Richardson County (0.2% Black), Holt County (0.4% Black), and Nemaha County (1.2% Black). Brown County is less Black than neighboring Atchison County (3.5% Black), and Doniphan County (3% Black).

Brown County's Asian Population

24 residents of Brown County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Brown County is slightly lower than in Kansas overall, where 2.9% of the population is Asian. Brown County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 42.9%. Asian residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Brown County is more Asian than neighboring Richardson County (0.1% Asian), and Doniphan County (0.1% Asian). Brown County is less Asian than neighboring Holt County (0.4% Asian), and Nemaha County (0.6% Asian).

Brown County's Hispanic Population

435 residents of Brown County, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Brown County is lower than in Kansas overall, where 13.6% of the population is Hispanic. Brown County ranks 73rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 23.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Brown County's population has increased from 3.7% to 4.7%.

Brown County is more Hispanic than neighboring Richardson County (2.4% Hispanic), Atchison County (3.8% Hispanic), Doniphan County (3.5% Hispanic), Holt County (1.9% Hispanic), and Nemaha County (2.6% Hispanic).

Brown County's Native American/Other Population

678 residents of Brown County, or 7.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Brown County is higher than in Kansas overall, where 0.9% of the population is Native American/Other. Brown County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 17.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Brown County's population has decreased from 8.7% to 7.3%.

Brown County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Richardson County (1.6% Native American/Other), Atchison County (0.3% Native American/Other), Doniphan County (0.4% Native American/Other), Holt County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Nemaha County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Brown County's Multiracial Population

442 residents of Brown County, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Brown County is comparable to the share in Kansas overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Brown County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 13.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Brown County's population has decreased from 5.3% to 4.7%.

Brown County is more Multiracial than neighboring Holt County (3.4% Multiracial), and Nemaha County (1.7% Multiracial). Brown County is less Multiracial than neighboring Richardson County (5.2% Multiracial), Atchison County (5.4% Multiracial), and Doniphan County (5.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.