Brownsville, Texas Population 2021

183,677

Brownsville is a city located in Cameron County Texas. It is also the county seat of Cameron County. 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.

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.

Diversity

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.

Population Growth

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.

Brownsville Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Brownsville was:

White: 95.54%
Other race: 2.49%
Asian: 0.62%
Black or African American: 0.57%
Two or more races: 0.55%
Native American: 0.21%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.02%

The current population of Brownsville, Texas is 183,677 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the 2018 population at 182,333.The last official US Census in 2010 recorded the population at 175,023.

Brownsville, Texas Population 2021

2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.

Year	Population	Growth	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%

Brownsville Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

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%

Brownsville Population by Race

Brownsville Population Pyramid $2021

Brownsville Population by Age

Brownsville Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Brownsville Household Types

Type	Owner	Renter
Married	72.1%	27.9%
All	60.7%	39.3%
Male	55.6%	44.4%
Non Family	49.1%	50.9%
Female	45.2%	54.8%

60.7%

Rate of Home Ownership

Brownsville Households and Families

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

Brownsville Households by Type

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%

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Race

Race	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
2+ 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%.

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Average	Male	Female
Overall	$25,532	$30,049	$21,399
Less Than 9th Grade	$17,539	$22,804	$14,371
High School Graduate	$22,196	$25,817	$19,070
Some College	$26,808	$31,826	$23,105
Bachelors Degree	$41,708	$47,809	$38,628
Graduate Degree	$57,837	$63,526	$54,518

$25,532

Average Earnings

$30,049

Average Male

$21,399

Average Female

Brownsville Earnings by Educational Attainment

Brownsville Language by Age

Brownsville Language

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.

Brownsville Language

Brownsville Poverty by Race

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

Poverty in Brownsville

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%.

Brownsville Poverty

Name	Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade	35.31%
High School	25.75%
Some College	14.80%
Bachelors or Greater	8.47%

Brownsville Poverty Rate by Education

Rate	Poverty
Female Unemployed	39.55%
Male Unemployed	23.90%
Female Employed	15.97%
Male Employed	14.31%

Brownsville Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Brownsville Income by Household Type

Name	Median	Mean
Households	$38,588	$53,996
Families	$43,704	$58,843
Married Families	$54,333	$69,024
Non Families	$17,066	$29,256

Income by Household Type

Brownsville Marital Status

Marriage Rates

48.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

52.3%

Male Marriage Rate

45.1%

Female Marriage Rate

Brownsville Married by Age and Sex

Brownsville Marriage

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.

Brownsville Marital Status by Race

Brownsville Marital Status

3,595

Number of Veterans

3,324

Male Veterans

271

Female Veterans

War	Veterans
Vietnam	1,283
First Gulf War	901
Second Gulf War	742
Korea	255
World War II	85

Brownsville Veterans by War

Age Group	Veterans
35 to 54	1,013
65 to 74	969
75+	757
55 to 64	543
18 to 34	313

Brownsville Veterans by Age

Name	Veterans	% of Total
White	3,374	2.79%
Hispanic	2,454	2.09%
Other Race	87	2.57%
Black	60	9.69%
2+ Races	43	8.01%
Native American	24	6.42%
Asian	7	0.67%

Brownsville Veterans by Race

Brownsville Veterans by Education

10.13%

Veteran Poverty Rate

32.99%

Veteran Disability Rate

Brownsville Veterans by Education

56.4%

Labor Force Participation

52.9%

Employment Rate

Unemployment Rate

Brownsville Employment by Age

Brownsville Employment by Race

Brownsville Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

63.66%

Born in Brownsville

71.42%

Native Born

28.58%

Foreign Born

18.77%

Non Citizen

9.81%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

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.

Brownsville Place of Birth

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%

Brownsville, Texas Population 2021

Diversity

Population Growth

Brownsville Demographics

Brownsville, Texas Population 2021

Brownsville Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

Brownsville Population by Race

Brownsville Population Pyramid $2021

Brownsville Median Age

Brownsville Adults

Brownsville Age Dependency

Brownsville Sex Ratio

Brownsville Population by Age

Brownsville Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Brownsville Household Types

Brownsville Households and Families

Brownsville Households by Type

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Race

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Race

Brownsville Earnings by Educational Attainment

Brownsville Language by Age

Brownsville Language

Brownsville Language

Brownsville Poverty by Race

Poverty in Brownsville

Brownsville Poverty

Brownsville Poverty Rate by Education

Brownsville Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Brownsville Income by Household Type

Income by Household Type

Brownsville Marital Status

Marriage Rates

Brownsville Married by Age and Sex

Brownsville Marriage

Brownsville Marital Status by Race

Brownsville Marital Status

Brownsville Veterans by War

Brownsville Veterans by Age

Brownsville Veterans by Race

Brownsville Veterans by Education

Brownsville Veterans by Education

Brownsville Employment by Age

Brownsville Employment by Race

Brownsville Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Place of Birth

Brownsville Place of Birth

Brownsville Population by Year