Brown County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 2,903. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Ainsworth. The county was established in 1883 and named for two members of the legislature who reported the bill for the county's organization. In the Nebraska license plate system, Brown County is represented by the prefix 75 (it had the 75th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. Brown County is located in Nebraska's Outback region.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 20 * US 183

U.S. Highway 183 * N-7

Nebraska Highway 7

Adjacent counties

* Keya Paha County - north * Rock County - east * Loup County - southeast * Blaine County - south * Cherry County - west

National protected area

* Niobrara National Scenic River (part)

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 3,525 people, 1,530 households, and 996 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,916 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.64%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.03%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.23% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 43.0% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 11.7% American, 11.6% English and 8.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 1,530 households, out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 31.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86. The county population contained 24.80% under the age of 18, 5.20% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 22.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,356, and the median income for a family was $35,029. Males had a median income of $23,986 versus $17,135 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $15,924. About 8.50% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The voters of Brown County have been solidly Republican since its founding. As of 2024, only once has the county voted for the Democratic Party candidate in a national election since 1916.

Communities

Cities

* Ainsworth (county seat) * Long Pine

Village

* Johnstown

References

External links

Brown County official website
* {{Coord, 42.44, -99.93, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 Nebraska counties 1883 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1883