Brownsville, Texas Population 2023

190,254

Brownsville is a city located in Cameron County Texas. It is also the county seat of Cameron County. With a 2023 population of 190,254, it is the 18th largest city in Texas and the 141st largest city in the United States.Brownsville is currently growing at a rate of 0.62% annually and its population has increased by 1.88% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 186,738 in 2020. Spanning over 146 miles, Brownsville has a population density of 1,438 people per square mile.

The average household income in Brownsville is $53,996 with a poverty rate of 35.87%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Brownsville is 30.9 years, 28.5 years for males, and 33.6 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: 85.21%
  • Two or more races: 10.43%
  • Other race: 3.27%
  • Asian: 0.62%
  • Black or African American: 0.38%
  • Native American: 0.07%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%
The current population of Brownsville, Texas is 190,254 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 186,738.

Brownsville, Texas Population 2023

Brownsville Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

White

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Brownsville Population by Race

Brownsville Population Pyramid 2023

Brownsville Median Age

30.9

Total

28.5

Male

33.6

Female

Brownsville Adults

There are 128,332 adults, (22,630 of whom are seniors) in Brownsville.

Brownsville Age Dependency

72.4

Age Dependency Ratio

21.4

Old Age Dependency Ratio

51

Child Dependency Ratio

Brownsville Sex Ratio

Female94,71351.97%
Male87,51748.03%

Brownsville Population by Age

Brownsville Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

3.91

Average Family Size

3.38

Average Household Size

60.4%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Brownsville Households and Families

Male

Female

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 40.96%.

Brownsville Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

$26,267

Average Earnings

$30,723

Average Male

$22,375

Average Female

Brownsville Earnings by Educational Attainment

Brownsville Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Brownsville Language

14.49% of Brownsville residents speak only English, while 85.51% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 84.72% of the population.

Brownsville Language

Brownsville Poverty by Race

rate

35.87%

Overall Poverty Rate

25.55%

Male Poverty Rate

29.22%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Brownsville

The race most likely to be in poverty in Brownsville is Other, with 49.53% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Brownsville is Asian, with 6.84% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 8.2%. Among those working part-time, it was 26.1%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 36.4%.

Brownsville Poverty

Brownsville Poverty Rate by Education

Brownsville Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Brownsville Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Brownsville Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

47.3%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.1%

Male Marriage Rate

43.9%

Female Marriage Rate

Brownsville Married by Age and Sex

male

female

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

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Brownsville Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

3,438

Number of Veterans

3,106

Male Veterans

332

Female Veterans

Brownsville Veterans by War

Brownsville Veterans by Age

count

Brownsville Veterans by Race

Brownsville Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

9.09%

Veteran Poverty Rate

28.58%

Veteran Disability Rate

Brownsville Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

56.7%

Labor Force Participation

53.2%

Employment Rate

6.1%

Unemployment Rate

Brownsville Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Brownsville Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Brownsville Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

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

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

62.12%

Born in Brownsville

70.23%

Native Born

27.35%

Foreign Born

17.6%

Non Citizen

9.75%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

70.23% of Brownsville residents were born in the United States, with 62.12% having been born in Texas. 17.6% 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

Note: data after 2020 is projected based on recent growth

Brownsville Population by Year