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Brown County, Nebraska

County in NE, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

2,869
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

45.7
years ∙ half population younger than 45.7, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
21.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.3%
foreign-born population
96.7%Native
3.3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Brown County is a county in Nebraska, United States.
Location
County in NE, US
Co-ordinates
DEC42.359562° N, 99.923920° W
DMS42° 21′ 34.42″ N, 99° 55′ 26.11″ W

Population Density & area

2.35/sq mi (0.907/km²)
Total Area
1,225 sq mi (3,173 km²)
Land Area
1,221 sq mi (3,163 km²) · 99.69%
Water Area
4 sq mi (10 km²) · 0.31%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.9% male
Male 50.9%
Female 49.1%
males per 100 females
Brown County 103.5
Nebraska 101
United States 98

Nativity

3.3%
foreign-born population
96.7%Native
3.3% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Brown County 3.3%
Nebraska 8%
United States 14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

45.7
years ∙ half population younger than 45.7, half older
Brown County
45.7
Nebraska
37.2
United States
38.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
90.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Brown County 90.8
Nebraska 70.1
United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Brown County Nebraska United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 20.1% 24.5% 22%
Working age (18-64) 52.4% 58.8% 60.8%
Senior (65+) 27.5% 16.7% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 90.8 70.1 64.4
Child dependency ratio 38.3 41.7 36.1
Old-age dependency ratio 52.5 28.4 28.3
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
88.5%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
6.2%
Other
5.3%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
21.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Brown County 21.1%
Nebraska 41.3%
United States 61.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Brown County population
Brown County Nebraska United States
Hispanic or Latino 6.2% 12.7% 19.3%
Mexican 5.8% 8.7% 11.3%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 1.8%
Cuban 0% 0.4% 0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.4% 3.3% 5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino 93.8% 87.3% 80.7%
One race 89.4% 83.5% 76.4%
White 88.5% 75.3% 57.4%
Black or African American 0% 4.6% 11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4% 0.6% 0.5%
Asian 0% 2.6% 5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0.5% 0.4% 0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 4.4% 3.8% 4.3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

57.2% family
Family 57.2%
Non family 42.8%
% family households
Brown County 57.2%
Nebraska 62.7%
United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.23
persons per household
Brown County
2.23
Nebraska
2.42
United States
2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Brown County population
Brown County Nebraska United States
Total households 1,275 797,847 129,227,496
Average houshold size 2.23 2.42 2.53
Family households 729 500,016 82,990,528
Average family size 3.05 3.05 3.14
Married couple family 617 389,247 60,637,388
Other families 112 110,769 22,353,140
Male householder 18 35,772 6,572,819
Female householder 94 74,997 15,780,321
Non-family households 546 297,831 46,236,968
One-person households 511 244,781 37,140,836
Male householder 215 116,731 16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone 115 33,618 5,225,110
Female householder 296 128,050 20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone 254 64,330 10,089,070
Other living arrangements 35 53,050 9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,656
housing units
Brown County 1,656
Nebraska 863,444
United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

77% occupied
Occupied 77%
Vacant 23%
vacancy rate
Brown County 23%
Nebraska 7.6%
United States 10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

84%
Single family houses
Single family houses
84%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
11.7%
Mobile homes
4.3%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1966
Half of houses were built before 1966, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
29.3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
30.6%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
32.8%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
7.3%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Brown County Nebraska United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.1 6.1 5.5
1–3 rooms 10.1% 13.2% 15.1%
4–6 rooms 45.4% 43.4% 51.6%
7+ rooms 44.6% 43.2% 33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 4% 2.5% 2.9%
1 bedroom 6.3% 10.8% 10.9%
2 bedrooms 31.8% 25% 25%
3 bedrooms 33.6% 35.6% 38.7%
4+ bedrooms 24.4% 26.2% 22.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1966 1976 1981
Total housing units 1,656 863,444 143,775,355
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

74.2% owners
Renter-occupied 25.8%
Owner-occupied 74.2%
homeownership rate
Brown County 74.2%
Nebraska 66.5%
United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.35
Owner-occupied
1.87
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Brown County 2.35
Nebraska 2.6
United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Brown County Nebraska United States
Total occupied units 1,275 797,847 129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later 18.2% 25.8% 24.8%
2010 to 2019 32.5% 39.4% 39.6%
2000 to 2009 25.1% 15.9% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 24.2% 18.9% 19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 97.9% 96.6%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 1.5% 2.2%
1.51 or more 0% 0.7% 1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 4.7% 5.4% 8.4%
1 vehicle 30.9% 30.1% 33.1%
2 vehicles 31% 37.7% 36.6%
3 or more vehicles 33.4% 26.8% 21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas 59.3% 66.2% 51.4%
Electricity 36.2% 31.5% 41.3%
Solar 0% 0% 0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.3% 3.9%
All other fuels 3.8% 1.4% 2%
No fuel used 0.7% 0.4% 1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.3% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 3.4% 1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0.5% 0.9% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$113,900
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Brown County
$113,900
Nebraska
$238,600
United States
$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

33.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
33.9%
Owners without a mortgage
15.1%
Renters
57.6%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Brown County Nebraska United States
Property value
Median Value $113,900 $238,600 $332,700
Under $100,000 43.9% 14% 11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000 31.1% 24.2% 15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000 11.9% 27.2% 17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 7.2% 25.1% 26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 5.9% 8.2% 20.9%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 1.3% 7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 41.9% 58.5% 60.6%
Without a mortgage 58.1% 41.5% 39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $968 $1,736 $1,963
Without a mortgage $559 $677 $638
Gross rent
Median rent $876 $1,072 $1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

24%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Brown County 24%
Nebraska 34.6%
United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Brown County 7.7%
Nebraska 7.8%
United States 10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

620
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
11.5%
K–12
72.3%
College / Undergraduate
10.6%
Graduate / Professional
5.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

26.2%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Brown County
26.2%
Nebraska
42%
United States
40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Brown County Nebraska United States
Total enrolled (age 3+) 620 516,339 80,089,790
Nursery / preschool 11.5% 6.3% 5.7%
K–12 72.3% 68.4% 67.6%
Kindergarten 4.2% 4.8% 5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 16.1% 20.5% 19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 23.4% 21.4% 21%
High School: Grades 9–12 28.5% 21.7% 21.7%
College or graduate school 16.3% 25.3% 26.7%
College, undergraduate 10.6% 19.2% 21%
Graduate, professional school 5.6% 6.1% 5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 26.2% 42% 40.9%
School type
Public school 85.5% 82.7% 82%
Private school 14.5% 17.3% 18%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,049
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
2.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
5.4%
HS graduate
30.2%
Some college no degree
28%
Associates degree
10.2%
Bachelors degree
16.6%
Graduate or professional degree
7.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
59.6% · 40.4%
9th-12th, no diploma
48.2% · 51.8%
HS graduate
43.6% · 56.4%
Some college no degree
57.2% · 42.8%
Associates degree
38.9% · 61.1%
Bachelors degree
53.5% · 46.5%
Graduate or professional degree
30.9% · 69.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Brown County Nebraska United States
Population (25+) 2,049 1,300,410 230,807,303
Less than 9th grade 2.3% 3.8% 4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 5.4% 4% 5.7%
High school diploma or GED 30.2% 25% 26%
Some college, no degree 28% 21.6% 19.1%
Associate's degree 10.2% 11% 8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 24% 34.6% 35.7%
Bachelor's degree 16.6% 22.3% 21.6%
Graduate or professional 7.4% 12.3% 14.1%
High School or higher 92.3% 92.2% 89.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$35,546
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$33,864
HS graduate
$26,711
Some college or associates
$36,484
Bachelors degree
$44,250
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

11.8%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
9.6%
HS graduate
23.2%
Some college or associates
9.3%
Bachelors degree or higher
11.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Brown County Nebraska United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $35,546 $51,569 $52,696
Less than high school graduate $33,864 $37,277 $32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $26,711 $40,830 $40,153
Some college or associate's degree $36,484 $47,062 $47,260
Bachelor's degree $44,250 $62,298 $70,044
Graduate or professional degree $— $78,244 $90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 9.6% 22.1% 24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 23.2% 12.8% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 9.3% 8% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 11.8% 3.8% 4.5%

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