Brown County, MN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.25, -94.73.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 56th pct · 1,347th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 39th pct · 53rd of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
- 91st pct · 252nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 91st pct · 8th of 87 Minnesota counties · median +4.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Minnesota counties: not published this period
- 61st pct · 1,236th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 63rd pct · 32nd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 69th pct · 995th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 68th pct · 28th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $1,102
- 48th pct · 1,573rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 38th pct · 54th of 87 Minnesota counties · median 4.6
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $251,306 (Aug 2026), +8.2% over one year, +36.0% over five
- 56th pct · 1,347th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 39th pct · 53rd of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Brown County, MN | $251,306 · +8.2% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Minnesota counties: not published this period
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $1,376 a month on $251,306 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,949 a month: 27.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $251,306 × 80% = $201,045, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,376/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,142 × 52 / 12 = $4,949) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $251,306 / ($1,142 × 52) = 4.2
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
13,070 jobs at 887 employers (2026 Q1); -0.5% jobs and +6.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 61st pct · 1,236th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 63rd pct · 32nd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Brown County, MN | 13,070 jobs · $1,142/wk · -0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,285 | $1,789 | 2.17 | -2.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,006 | $1,143 | 1.02 | -1.6% |
| Retail trade | 1,458 | $672 | 1.14 | -2.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 947 | $310 | 0.81 | +2.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 788 | $827 | 1.43 | -4.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 543 | $1,178 | 0.60 | +3.6% |
| Construction | 507 | $1,109 | 0.74 | -0.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 392 | $1,719 | 0.74 | -6.2% |
| Management of companies | 371 | $1,783 | 1.70 | +4.8% |
| Other services | 276 | $901 | 0.71 | -9.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 274 | $599 | 0.37 | +17.6% |
| Information | 248 | $1,359 | 1.03 | -3.5% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D0 abnormally dry
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
Sites found: 0, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
23 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 10 stale
Sites found: 23, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-05317000 | flow 45.5 ft³/s | 24 km |
| USGS-05316770 | flow 827.0 ft³/s | 25 km |
| USGS-05317200 | flow 6.02 ft³/s | 31 km |
| USGS-443053094591001 | temp 9.40 °C · quality 100 % (1) | 36 km |
| USGS-05316580 | flow 795.0 ft³/s | 39 km |
| USGS-05316500 | flow 34.7 ft³/s | 46 km |
| USGS-05319500 | flow 144.0 ft³/s | 48 km |
| USGS-05475350 | flow 57.2 ft³/s | 52 km |
| USGS-05326189 | flow 0.54 ft³/s · STALE | 52 km |
| USGS-0531656290 | flow 53.0 ft³/s · STALE | 55 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
10 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 10, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-443053094591001 | depth 47.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 36 km |
| USGS-435605095121201 | depth 17.2 ft · 2001-10-25 | 51 km |
| USGS-440050094102801 | depth 74.6 ft · 1999-09-30 | 52 km |
| USGS-435239095074801 | depth 11.2 ft · 2024-08-12 | 52 km |
| USGS-444630095002205 | depth 6.44 ft · 2018-10-09 | 63 km |
| USGS-444630095002203 | depth 5.54 ft · 2018-10-09 | 63 km |
| USGS-444630095002209 | depth 99.5 ft · 2018-10-09 | 63 km |
| USGS-444630095002208 | depth 25.8 ft · 2018-10-09 | 63 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$972.1 m in deposits at 11 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,560, moderately concentrated. $194.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $188.0 m, grants $6.0 m), $14,901 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank Minnesota | $273.2 m · 28.1% share · 1 office | |
| Alliance Bank | $166.2 m · 17.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Frandsen Bank & Trust | $115.7 m · 11.9% share · 1 office | |
| Brown, MN | $194.8 m FY2026 · $14,901/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $164.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank Minnesota | $273,205,000 | 28.1% | 1 |
| Alliance Bank | $166,186,000 | 17.1% | 2 |
| Frandsen Bank & Trust | $115,734,000 | 11.9% | 1 |
| Bank Midwest | $102,210,000 | 10.5% | 1 |
| Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Springfield | $86,331,000 | 8.9% | 1 |
| United Prairie Bank | $80,515,000 | 8.3% | 1 |
| Americana Community Bank | $62,322,000 | 6.4% | 1 |
| First Security Bank - Sleepy Eye | $54,530,000 | 5.6% | 1 |
| MidCountry Bank | $19,830,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
| Triumph State Bank | $11,196,000 | 1.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,560 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 28.1² + 17.1² + 11.9² + … (7 more) = 1,560
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $149,189,315 |
| Department of Agriculture | $20,518,621 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $14,697,219 |
| Department of Transportation | $5,508,641 |
| Department of Education | $2,208,466 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,337,760 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $791,304 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $377,084 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $111,245 |
| Small Business Administration | $21,563 |
That is $14,901 per covered job, against 13,070 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $194.8 m / 13,070 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $14,901
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Brown County, MN: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchBrown County, MN's covered employment is -0.5% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -0.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteBrown County, MN's average weekly wage was 6.2% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +6.2 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteBrown County, MN's covered employment was 0.5% lower than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- -0.5 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteBrown County, MN's typical home value rose 0.4% from $250,334 in July 2026 to $251,306 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (251306.07442754568 - 250334.16210100203) / 250334.16210100203 × 100
- 251306.07442754568 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 250334.16210100203 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteBrown County, MN's typical home value of +8.2% ranks 8th of 87 Minnesota counties, against a median of +4.1%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 92 on the 0-to-100 scale across 87 Minnesota counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 8 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.