State
County
Land Area
132.3 sq mi
Density
1,388.1/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.24%
Growth Since 2010
4.94%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
425,211
Brownsville is a city located in Texas. With a 2020 population of 183,677, it is the 18th largest city in Texas and the 140th largest city in the United States. Brownsville is currently growing at a rate of 0.24% annually and its population has increased by 4.94% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 175,023 in 2010. Brownsville reached it's highest population of 183,677 in 2021. Spanning over 146 miles, Brownsville has a population density of 1,388 people per square mile.
The average household income in Brownsville is $53,996 with a poverty rate of 29.30%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $736 per month, and the median house value is $90,000. The median age in Brownsville is 30.6 years, 27.8 years for males, and 33.5 years for females. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males.
Brownsville is located in Cameron County, Texas in South Texas near the Mexican border. The city is part of the cross-border Brownsville-Metamoros conurbation which has an estimated population of 1.13 million. Brownsville is one of the most southern cities in the United States.
Brownsville has one of the highest shares of Hispanic residents in the United States. The Pew Research Center reports that metro Brownsville has about 373,000 Hispanic residents or almost 89% of its population which ranks 28th in the country. Almost 97% of Hispanic residents in Brownsville are Mexican and 0.8% are Puerto Rican. About 30% of people in Brownsville were born outside of the U.S.
Brownsville has one of the country's highest poverty rates with a median household income of $24,500. Nearly 36% of the population and 32% of families live below the federal poverty line. This includes almost half of people under 18. This makes Brownsville the second poorest urban area in the United States after the McAllen metro area.
Brownsville remains the most populous city in the Rio Grande Valley and its population more than doubled from 85,000 in 1980 to 175,000 in 2010. The city is now working on a comprehensive housing program to address its massively growing population. By 2030, Brownsville is expected to add another 10,000 people.
In its early history in the 18th century when the land was owned by Spain, the area of Brownsville was used for ranching. It had just a few settlers when Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836.
Brownsville was founded by an entrepreneur named Charles Stillman in 1848 after he founded a nearby river boat company. The city is named for Major Jacob Brown, an Army soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War. In 1848, Brownsville became part of Texas and the city was incorporated two years later. Brownsville played a major role in many historical events, including the Battle of Brownsville during the American Civil War and the Mexican-American War and Texas Revolution.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Brownsville was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 425,211 | 1,024 | 0.24% |
2020 | 424,187 | 1,024 | 0.24% |
2019 | 423,163 | 1,024 | 0.24% |
2018 | 422,139 | -88 | -0.02% |
2017 | 422,227 | 877 | 0.21% |
2016 | 421,350 | 1,900 | 0.45% |
2015 | 419,450 | 445 | 0.11% |
2014 | 419,005 | 1,648 | 0.39% |
2013 | 417,357 | 1,480 | 0.35% |
2012 | 415,877 | 2,676 | 0.64% |
2011 | 413,201 | 5,571 | 1.35% |
2010 | 407,630 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 174,148 | 95.54% |
Some Other Race | 4,544 | 2.49% |
Asian | 1,124 | 0.62% |
Black or African American | 1,046 | 0.57% |
Two or More Races | 996 | 0.55% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 374 | 0.21% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 39 | 0.02% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 52,162 | 3.47 | 60.7 |
Married | 27,358 | 4.09 | 72.1 |
Female | 11,791 | 3.86 | 45.2 |
Non Family | 9,669 | 1.13 | 49.1 |
Male | 3,344 | 3.77 | 55.6 |
3.94
Average Family Size
3.47
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 21,089 | 20.16% |
9th to 12th Grade | 15,078 | 14.41% |
High School Graduate | 25,049 | 23.95% |
Some College | 16,567 | 15.84% |
Associates Degree | 7,079 | 6.77% |
Bachelors Degree | 14,352 | 13.72% |
Graduate Degree | 5,393 | 5.16% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 96,397 | 61,232 | 17,152 |
White | 6,711 | 5,965 | 2,153 |
Other Race | 2,881 | 1,901 | 399 |
Asian | 800 | 575 | 291 |
Multiple Races | 477 | 356 | 73 |
Black | 469 | 400 | 188 |
Native American | 368 | 274 | 8 |
Islander | 16 | 16 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among black people with a rate of 40.09%.
$25,532
Average Earnings
$30,049
Average Male
$21,399
Average Female
14.28% of Brownsville residents speak only English, while 85.72% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 84.76% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 169,563 | 51,440 | 30.34% |
White | 8,827 | 1,203 | 13.63% |
Other | 4,476 | 1,002 | 22.39% |
Multiple | 987 | 373 | 37.79% |
Black | 910 | 166 | 18.24% |
Asian | 1,124 | 63 | 5.60% |
Native | 374 | 35 | 9.36% |
29.30%
Overall Poverty Rate
27.46%
Male Poverty Rate
31.01%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Brownsville is Multiple, with 37.79% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Brownsville is Asian, with 5.60% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 9.55%. Among those working part-time, it was 27.44%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 37.06%.
48.5%
Overall Marriage Rate
52.3%
Male Marriage Rate
45.1%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 3,374 | 2.79% |
Hispanic | 2,454 | 2.09% |
Other | 87 | 2.57% |
Black | 60 | 9.69% |
2 or More | 43 | 8.01% |
Indian | 24 | 6.42% |
Asian | 7 | 0.67% |
10.13%
Veteran Poverty Rate
32.99%
Veteran Disability Rate
56.4%
Labor Force Participation
52.9%
Employment Rate
6%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
71.42%
Native Born
28.58%
Foreign Born
18.77%
Non Citizen
9.81%
Naturalized
71.42% of Brownsville residents were born in the United States, with 63.66% having been born in Texas. 18.77% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 183,677 | 448 | 0.24% |
2020 | 183,229 | 448 | 0.25% |
2019 | 182,781 | 448 | 0.25% |
2018 | 182,333 | -51 | -0.03% |
2017 | 182,384 | 73 | 0.04% |
2016 | 182,311 | 783 | 0.43% |
2015 | 181,528 | -128 | -0.07% |
2014 | 181,656 | 1,008 | 0.56% |
2013 | 180,648 | 996 | 0.55% |
2012 | 179,652 | 1,498 | 0.84% |
2011 | 178,154 | 2,792 | 1.59% |
2010 | 175,362 | 35,640 | 2.30% |
2000 | 139,722 | 40,760 | 3.51% |
1990 | 98,962 | 13,965 | 1.53% |
1980 | 84,997 | 32,475 | 4.93% |
1970 | 52,522 | 4,482 | 0.90% |
1960 | 48,040 | 11,974 | 2.91% |
1950 | 36,066 | 13,983 | 5.03% |
1940 | 22,083 | 62 | 0.03% |
1930 | 22,021 | 10,230 | 6.45% |
1920 | 11,791 | 1,274 | 1.15% |
1910 | 10,517 | 4,212 | 5.25% |
1900 | 6,305 | 171 | 0.28% |
1890 | 6,134 | 1,196 | 2.19% |
1880 | 4,938 | 33 | 0.07% |
1870 | 4,905 | 2,171 | 6.02% |
1860 | 2,734 | 0.00% |