Brown County Demographics

A map of Brown County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	32,081	32,705	84.7%	85.4%
Hispanic	1,770	1,659	4.7%	4.3%
Multiracial	1,269	1,241	3.4%	3.2%
Native American/Other	1,148	1,243	3.0%	3.2%
Asian	1,114	918	2.9%	2.4%
Black	495	535	1.3%	1.4%

Brown County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 37,877, a slight decrease from the 38,301 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 84.7% White, 4.7% Hispanic, 3.4% Multiracial, 3.0% Native American/Other, 2.9% Asian, and 1.3% Black. 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 South Dakota 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 26.6% in 2020 and 27.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Brown County is ranked the 4th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Brown County was ranked the 4th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Brown County's White Population

32,081 residents of Brown County, or 84.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Brown County is slightly higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Brown County ranks 40th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Brown County's population has decreased from 85.4% to 84.7%.

Brown County is more White than neighboring Marshall County (83.7% White), and Day County (83% White). Brown County is less White than neighboring Dickey County (89.8% White), Spink County (92.6% White), and Edmunds County (93.8% White).

Brown County's Black Population

495 residents of Brown County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Brown County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Brown County ranks 6th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Black population has declined by an estimated 7.5%. Black residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

Brown County is more Black than neighboring Dickey County (0% Black), Marshall County (0.1% Black), Day County (0% Black), and Edmunds County (0% Black). Brown County is less Black than neighboring Spink County (1.6% Black).

Brown County's Asian Population

1,114 residents of Brown County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Brown County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Brown County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 21.4%. Asian residents' share of Brown County's population has increased from 2.4% to 2.9%.

Brown County is more Asian than neighboring Dickey County (1.4% Asian), Spink County (0% Asian), Marshall County (0.2% Asian), Day County (0.1% Asian), and Edmunds County (0.7% Asian).

Brown County's Hispanic Population

1,770 residents of Brown County, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Brown County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Brown County ranks 15th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 6.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.7%.

Brown County is more Hispanic than neighboring Dickey County (4.1% Hispanic), Spink County (2.8% Hispanic), Day County (2.8% Hispanic), and Edmunds County (2.7% Hispanic). Brown County is less Hispanic than neighboring Marshall County (6.4% Hispanic).

Brown County's Native American/Other Population

1,148 residents of Brown County, or 3.0% 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 slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Brown County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 7.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Brown County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Dickey County (1.7% Native American/Other), Spink County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Edmunds County (0.6% Native American/Other). Brown County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Marshall County (5.8% Native American/Other), and Day County (9.9% Native American/Other).

Brown County's Multiracial Population

1,269 residents of Brown County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Brown County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Brown County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Brown County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 2.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Brown County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.4%.

Brown County is more Multiracial than neighboring Dickey County (2.9% Multiracial), Spink County (2.6% Multiracial), and Edmunds County (2.2% Multiracial). Brown County is less Multiracial than neighboring Marshall County (3.8% Multiracial), and Day County (4.2% 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.