Brown County, MN

County Profile

25,800 residents. Jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Brown County, MN.

65out of 100
Area Score
Top 31% of 1,453 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
Opportunity854th of 1,463 counties measured51
SchoolsTop 39% of 1,377 counties measured58
GrowthTop 13% of 1,453 counties measured72
Housing affordabilityTop 43% of 1,462 counties measured75
Climate1,378th of 1,463 counties measured53
Physical resilienceTop 14% of 1,463 counties measured84
Access1,380th of 1,463 counties measured42
Economic stabilityTop 12% of 1,463 counties measured87
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.1% and median household income $69,378, putting employment conditions in the middle range of counties measured.

In the public schools here, 57% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.8 students for every teacher.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 149 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, against 29 the year before. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
25,800
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$69,378
Top 39% nationally
Density
42/sq mi
611.1 sq mi of land
Median age
42.0
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Brown County
Minnesota
Micro area
Nearest major airport
MSP
86 mi · Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain
Median home value
$191,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1%, lower than in 50% of the 1,467 measured US counties.

Employment fell 1.9% over the past year, to 13,415 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023$58,74250th percentileof 1,417filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023$59,79256th percentileof 1,417filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,1502024 ACS 5-Year$69,378Top 39%of 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,0522024 ACS 5-Year$37,653Top 36%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per-capita personal income2023$64,248Top 27%of 1,3892023
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.2%Top 15%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year16.1 minTop 4%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year24.5%Top 40%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year79.8%67th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202613,415Bottom 17%of 1,467July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.5%Top 33%of 1,467July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.9%Bottom 23%of 1,467July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202613,98917th percentileof 1,467July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year87.4%Top 2%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%67th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.3%Bottom 24%of 1,467July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.1%Top 50%of 1,467July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year7.3%37th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.91.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202469k63k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $69,378 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

57% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 59% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.8 students for every full-time teacher across 15 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
18
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.8
across 15 of them
Math proficiency
57.2%
Top 37% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
59.4%
Bottom 46% in Minnesota
The 12 largest of 18 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
New Ulm High SchoolNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT68718.667%67%
Jefferson ElementaryNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT64313.457%49%
New Ulm Middle SchoolNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT61715.850%60%
Springfield ElementarySPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT33914.787%72%
Sleepy Eye ElementarySLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT32413.057%62%
Springfield SecondarySPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT31413.752%62%
Sleepy Eye Sec.SLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT23810.842%57%
Washington Learning CenterNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT18012.0——
River Bend Early Childhood Prog.RIVER BEND EDUCATION DISTRICT9022.5——
Comfrey ElementaryCOMFREY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT579.525%45%
Comfrey SecondaryCOMFREY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT479.425%65%
River Bend Area Learning CenterRIVER BEND EDUCATION DISTRICT436.110%10%

35.7% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Minnesota’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota is up 43% over five years, and up 3.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,976 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.03% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $973, some 9% above the $890 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $973 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,900 a year, about 56% of the median household income here of $69,378.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $890 a month.

A median home at $191,200 costs 2.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $80,483, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
28.9%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$973
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$890
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$191,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Brown County’s median household income of $69,378, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+3.8%57th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+42.5%37th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+88.5%39th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year2.4Top 43%of 3,2172024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year78.9%75th percentileof 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±442024 ACS 5-Year11,82748th percentileof 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$742Top 12%of 1,423FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,177Top 9%of 1,423FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$973Top 18%of 1,423FY2026
Median gross rent ±$722024 ACS 5-Year$890Bottom 46%of 3,2152024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$11,0152024 ACS 5-Year$191,20053rd percentileof 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$692024 ACS 5-Year$1,97664th percentileof 3,1722024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,2232024 ACS 5-Year$80,483Top 41%of 3,2182024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year1.03%68th percentileof 3,1262024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year28.9%Bottom 38%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±562024 ACS 5-Year8016th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%17th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year6.1%25th percentileof 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1722024 ACS 5-Year80024th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

72/ 100
Top 13% of 1,453 published county profiles
Permitting has been falling for the last 2 years of a series running from 2022 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 25,710 in 2024.

79% of the 149 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

Federal tax returns show Brown County lost about 0.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $58,742, close to the $59,792 of households that moved out.

At 5.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.

Units permitted
149
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.8
Top 24% nationally
Year over year
+414%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
78.5%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202426k26k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.3%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
28%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$58,742
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$59,792
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Nicollet County, MN 92 people · 11% of arrivals
  2. Redwood County, MN 63 people · 7.8% of arrivals
  3. Blue Earth County, MN 60 people · 7.4% of arrivals
  4. Watonwan County, MN 43 people · 5.3% of arrivals
  5. Hennepin County, MN 39 people · 4.8% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Nicollet County, MN 103 people · 12% of departures
  2. Blue Earth County, MN 92 people · 10% of departures
  3. Hennepin County, MN 46 people · 5.2% of departures
  4. Redwood County, MN 46 people · 5.2% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20222023202420254917
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+88%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 6°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 28.0 inches.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station REDWOOD FALLS MUNI AP, 27.0 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals28.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals6°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals58°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

84 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and tornado, with cold wave alone responsible for 41% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 86% of measured US counties.

Winter weatherModerate
Strong windHigh
HailModerate
TornadoHigh
Inland floodingModerate
Heat waveModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, drought, landslide, ice storm, wildfire, earthquake, avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, and no county figure could be attached to this page.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain at 86 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year86.8%Bottom 49%of 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle86 miBottom 6%of 1,463NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 3%of 1,463NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year10.9%Bottom 45%of 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP86 mi11,006 ft
Joe Foss FldFSD110 mi9,000 ft
Rochester IntlRST113 mi9,034 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
IncomeU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

Cities in Brown County, MN