Brown County Demographics

A map of Brown County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	23,586	23,968	91.4%	92.5%
Hispanic	1,327	1,171	5.1%	4.5%
Multiracial	349	464	1.4%	1.8%
Black	241	118	0.9%	0.5%
Native American/Other	172	65	0.7%	0.3%
Asian	125	126	0.5%	0.5%

Brown County, Minnesota has an estimated population of 25,800, a less than 1% change from the 25,912 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.4% White, 5.1% Hispanic, 1.4% Multiracial, 0.9% Black, 0.7% Native American/Other, and 0.5% 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 more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Minnesota 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 14.2% in 2020 and 16.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Brown County is ranked the 40th most populous county in Minnesota, out of 87 counties. Brown County was ranked the 40th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Brown County's White Population

23,586 residents of Brown County, or 91.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Brown County is significantly higher than in Minnesota overall, where 75.9% of the population is White. Brown County ranks 17th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.6%. White residents' share of Brown County's population has decreased from 92.5% to 91.4%.

Brown County is more White than neighboring Watonwan County (67.7% White), Nicollet County (85.5% White), Cottonwood County (80% White), Renville County (84.9% White), and Redwood County (85.1% White).

Brown County's Black Population

241 residents of Brown County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Brown County is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 6.9% of the population is Black. Brown County ranks 61st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Black population has grown by an estimated 104.2%. Black residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Brown County is more Black than neighboring Watonwan County (0% Black), and Redwood County (0.6% Black). Brown County is less Black than neighboring Nicollet County (4.5% Black), and Cottonwood County (1.7% Black).

Brown County's Asian Population

125 residents of Brown County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Brown County is slightly lower than in Minnesota overall, where 5.1% of the population is Asian. Brown County ranks 53rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Asian population has remained roughly the same. Asian residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Brown County is more Asian than neighboring Watonwan County (0.3% Asian). Brown County is less Asian than neighboring Nicollet County (1.6% Asian), Cottonwood County (3.8% Asian), Renville County (0.7% Asian), and Redwood County (2.7% Asian).

Brown County's Hispanic Population

1,327 residents of Brown County, or 5.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Brown County is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 6.4% of the population is Hispanic. Brown County ranks 39th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 13.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Brown County's population has increased from 4.5% to 5.1%.

Brown County is more Hispanic than neighboring Redwood County (4.2% Hispanic). Brown County is less Hispanic than neighboring Watonwan County (30.4% Hispanic), Nicollet County (5.4% Hispanic), Cottonwood County (11.3% Hispanic), and Renville County (10.2% Hispanic).

Brown County's Native American/Other Population

172 residents of Brown County, or 0.7% 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 comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Brown County ranks 84th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 164.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Brown County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Watonwan County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Nicollet County (0.6% Native American/Other). Brown County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Cottonwood County (1.2% Native American/Other), Renville County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Redwood County (3.8% Native American/Other).

Brown County's Multiracial Population

349 residents of Brown County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Brown County is slightly lower than in Minnesota overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Brown County ranks 86th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 24.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.4%.

Brown County is more Multiracial than neighboring Watonwan County (1.2% Multiracial). Brown County is less Multiracial than neighboring Nicollet County (2.3% Multiracial), Cottonwood County (1.9% Multiracial), Renville County (2.4% Multiracial), and Redwood County (3.7% 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.