Brown County, Nebraska: commercial real estate data.
Brown County, Nebraska has a population of 2,869 across 1,221 square miles, down 0.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $265.6 m in 2024, 145 establishments operate here.
75 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Brown County
How many people live in Brown County
- Population2,869
- Households1,275
- Average household size2.25
- Median household income$54,676
- Median age45.7
- Median gross rent$876 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$113,900
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,049
- Population under 18576
- Share under 1820.1 percent
- Population 65 and over789
- Share 65 and over27.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,504
- Civilian labor force1,443
- Unemployment rate1.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.9 percent
- Rank by population among Nebraska counties66th of 93
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents3041st
Brown County is the 66th largest of 93 Nebraska counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 27.5 percent against 20.1 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Brown County
Is Brown County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.86 percent
- Census 2020 base population2,902
- Births, 202434
- Deaths, 202432
- Natural change, 20242
- Net domestic migration, 2024-23
- Net international migration, 202420
- Total net migration, 2024-3
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-54
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2144th
The county has lost 0.86 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Brown County
Where people moving to Brown County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving56
- People arriving, from those returns103
- Adjusted gross income arriving$3.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$57,250
- Largest single originBrown County Non-migrants (1,170 households)
- Largest single destination (1,170 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County Non-migrants | 1,170 | 2,380 | $68.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 56 | 103 | $3.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Brown County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Brown County
What the Brown County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$265.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$275.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-3.6 percent
- GDP change over five years22.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Nebraska counties64th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2771st
- GDP per resident$92,576
Output grew -3.6 percent in the latest year and 22.8 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Brown County
Who employs people in Brown County
- Covered employment, annual average1,388
- Establishments reporting166
- Average annual pay$46,497
- Average weekly wage$894
- Sector 11, employment263
- Sector 11, average annual pay$51,544
- Sector 44-45, employment159
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$28,762
- Sector 62, employment122
- Sector 62, average annual pay$35,376
- Sector 23, employment82
- Sector 23, average annual pay$41,283
- Sector 42, employment78
- Sector 31-33, employment48
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 11 | 263 | 15 | $51,544 |
| Sector 44-45 | 159 | 23 | $28,762 |
| Sector 62 | 122 | 16 | $35,376 |
| Sector 23 | 82 | 18 | $41,283 |
| Sector 42 | 78 | 10 | $67,487 |
| Sector 31-33 | 48 | 4 | $45,705 |
| Sector 81 | 44 | 11 | $28,920 |
| Sector 54 | 21 | 8 | $46,783 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 263 jobs, 18.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Brown County
What businesses operate in Brown County
- Establishments, all industries145
- Employment at those establishments844
- Annual payroll$37.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents50.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Brown County
What is being built in Brown County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Brown County
How big is Brown County
- Land area1,221 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Nebraska counties10th of 93
- Width, east to west27.3 mi
- Height, north to south52.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.12
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Brown County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Brown County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population2,869
- Households1,275
- Average household size2.25
- Median household income$54,676
- Median age45.7
Common questions
Brown County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Brown County, Nebraska?
2,869, in 1,275 households, ranking 66th of 93 Nebraska counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Brown County growing?
The population has fallen 0.86 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 34 births against 32 deaths, with net migration of -3. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Brown County?
$54,676. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $113,900, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $876 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Brown County?
145 establishments, employing 844 people with an annual payroll of $37.9 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Brown County?
Average annual pay is $46,497, or $894 a week, across 1,388 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Brown County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Brown County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Brown County come from?
The largest single origin is Brown County Non-migrants, with 1,170 households. Arriving households report an average income of $57,250 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Brown County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Brown County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.