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CITY

Brownsville

Texas · 192,957 residents (2025 est.) · 132 sq mi
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Part of the Brownsville metro area
The short version

Brownsville is home to 189,177 people in Texas. This skews young, with a median age of 31.2. The typical home is worth $139,900, having roughly tripled since 2000. 28% of people here were born outside the United States. The population is up 35% since 2000. That trails the Texas median by roughly 34%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 31.2
US median: 38.9
Less educated
25% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 55%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
189,177
+35%since 2000
from 139,722 in 2000
192,957 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,435 / sq mi
+11%since 2009
from 1,294 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
31.2
+13%since 2000
from 27.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
132 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
90K117K144K171K198K19902000201020202024Brownsville
2024189K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 57%(13,335)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 98.4%(15,843)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.8%(14,777)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.8%(16,616)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.7%(16,513)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.6%(25,682)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.2%(23,142)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412%(22,679)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 648.5%(16,071)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.7%(14,476)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.8%(7,185)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.5%(2,858)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$52,130
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $24,468 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$22,512
+131%since 2000
from $9,762 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
34.3%
+20.7 ptssince 2009
from 13.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
23.7%
−12.3 ptssince 2000
from 36.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.466
−2%since 2010
from 0.475 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade6.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance5.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.6%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$139,900
+55%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $49,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$923
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $405 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
61.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2000
from 61.2% in 2000
38.3% rent
Vacancy rate
7.8%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
3.13 people
−10%since 2009
from 3.47 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.2%
−10.7 ptssince 2009
from 32.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.3%
−6.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.7
+4%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
70
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic7.7%(10,826)
Black0.2%(276)
Hispanic / Latino91.3%(127,535)
Asian0.5%(710)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic4.4%(8,270)
Black0.3%(566)
Hispanic / Latino94%(177,847)
Asian0.8%(1,454)
Other0.5%(1,040)
Diversity Score
14
−21%since 2009
from 18 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican88.5%(167,339)
Puerto Rican0.3%(582)
Salvadoran0.2%(369)
Cuban0.2%(344)
Honduran0.1%(282)
Spaniard0.1%(204)
Dominican0.1%(164)
Guatemalan0.1%(107)
Colombian0%(69)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Filipino0.3%(521)
Nepalese0.1%(139)
Asian Indian0.1%(137)
Taiwanese0.1%(101)
Pakistani0.1%(98)
Korean0%(91)
Chinese0%(67)
Japanese0%(44)
Laotian0%(20)
Thai0%(18)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(73)
Guamanian0%(22)
Samoan0%(16)
Ancestry
American2%(3,739)
German1.1%(2,089)
English0.8%(1,523)
Irish0.7%(1,399)
Italian0.6%(1,153)
French0.2%(427)
Dutch0.2%(322)
Russian0.2%(320)
Polish0.1%(280)
Scottish0.1%(227)
Scotch-Irish0.1%(192)
Portuguese0.1%(138)
+ 25 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.1%(136)
Welsh0.1%(114)
Belgian0.1%(105)
Swiss0.1%(103)
British0.1%(98)
Czech0.1%(96)
Hungarian0%(88)
Swedish0%(72)
Arab0%(54)
Turkish0%(53)
Lebanese0%(49)
Finnish0%(28)
Brazilian0%(22)
Serbian0%(17)
Romanian0%(12)
Austrian0%(11)
Slovak0%(7)
Slovene0%(6)
Greek0%(5)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
24.5%
+11.1 ptssince 2000
from 13.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
72.0%
+20.4 ptssince 2000
from 51.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.3%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 5.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.4 min
+68%since 2000
from 12.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.9%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 76.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
13.4%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 14.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
8.4%
+6.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.3%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
7.4%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.2%
−2.7 ptssince 2011
from 8.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
59.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2011
from 58.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
66.7%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 64.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
17.1%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 18.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
32.4%
+7.7 ptssince 2009
from 24.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
Female
51.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 52.3% in 2009
Foreign born
27.5%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 30.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.8%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.7%
−1.9 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
26.2%
−10.2 ptssince 2013
from 36.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.1%
+37.3 ptssince 2017
from 48.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
91.4%
+7.5 ptssince 2020
from 83.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.0%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 90.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
16.4%
+3.1 ptssince 2016
from 13.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
82.7%
−2.7 ptssince 2016
from 85.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38%(26,365)
Married54%(37,523)
Widowed2.6%(1,802)
Divorced5.4%(3,780)
Women 15+
Never married33.2%(25,122)
Married47.3%(35,863)
Widowed9.9%(7,464)
Divorced9.6%(7,303)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
26.2%
−10.2 ptssince 2013
from 36.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
33.1%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 30.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
9.6%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 6.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
13.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 13.4% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
27.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 28.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
42.0%
+5.5 ptssince 2020
from 36.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 36.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)35.9%(1,354)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)30.6%(1,155)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era29.7%(1,121)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.5%(95)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,775 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Brownsville to nearby cities

BROWNSVILLE VS
Los Fresnos
Income$61,938+19%
Home value$152,200+9%
Population8,703−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BROWNSVILLE VS
San Benito
Income$43,639−16%
Home value$85,300−39%
Population24,980−87%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BROWNSVILLE VS
Harlingen
Income$53,645+3%
Home value$140,600+1%
Population72,467−62%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BROWNSVILLE VS
Mercedes
Income$46,904−10%
Home value$111,800−20%
Population17,915−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Brownsville, Texas?

Brownsville, Texas has about 189,177 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Brownsville, Texas?

The typical household in Brownsville, Texas earns about $52,130 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Brownsville, Texas expensive?

In Brownsville, Texas, the median home is worth about $139,900, and the typical rent is about $923 a month.

How educated are people in Brownsville, Texas?

About 24.5% of adults age 25 and over in Brownsville, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Brownsville, Texas?

About 23.7% of people in Brownsville, Texas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Brownsville, Texas grown since 1990?

Yes, Brownsville, Texas has grown since 1990. The population has added about 90,215 residents, a change of about 91 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Brownsville, Texas: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy