Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety68#5,025/15,637
Economy13#13,592/15,631
Housing96#541/14,977
Health11#13,943/15,609
Healthcare2#15,363/15,650
Environment38#9,638/15,453
Education43#8,942/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,753/15,650
Community9#14,248/15,651
Leisure & amenities0#15,574/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Brownsville, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Edmonson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Violent crime rate · low17 /100k
100/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationEdmonson County value
Property crime rate · low253 /100k
98/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationEdmonson County value
Rent-burdened households · low27.2%
97/100Kentucky 45.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Public libraries · high2.4 /10k
93/100Kentucky 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesEdmonson County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.41%
93/100Kentucky 0.75%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Job growth · high2.5%
91/100Kentucky -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataEdmonson County value

Weaknesses

Social associations · low0.0 /10k
0/100Kentucky 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEdmonson County value
Primary care physicians · low8 /100k
1/100Kentucky 63 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEdmonson County value
Broadband subscriptions · low74.2%
2/100Kentucky 88.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Adult smoking · high25.2%
2/100Kentucky 17.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Restaurants and bars · low3.1 /10k
2/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEdmonson County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low6.4%
3/100Kentucky 27.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
854 (2015-2019) → 1,068 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
6.4% (2015-2019) → 33.9% (2020-2024)
+28 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.3× (2015-2019) → 4.5× (2020-2024)
+95%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
37.5% (2015-2019) → 27.2% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
34.4% (2015-2019) → 27.3% (2020-2024)
−7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Average commute timeImproving
28.1 min (2015-2019) → 19.0 min (2020-2024)
−32%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Brownsville, Kentucky improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Brownsville, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.1 min2015-2019	19.0 min2020-2024	−9.1 min	Within the margin of error	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.5%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Broadband subscriptions	75.1%2015-2019	74.2%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	6%
High school diploma or higher	74.2%2015-2019	70.8%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.4432020-2024	+0.030	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$33,2292015-2019	$35,4812020-2024	+6.8%	Within the margin of error	13%
Poverty rate	24.8%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.8%2015-2019	25.5%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent-burdened households	37.5%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	83%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Brownsville, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brownsville, Kentucky in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Brownsville, Kentucky itself moved −0.5 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,068 residents (±298)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (+8.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,068 residents (±298)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

White95%1,016
Black0.5%†5
Hispanic or Latino1.3%†14
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.1%†33

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

703 residents (±164)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

No high school diploma29%†205
High school or GED43%†304
Some college15%†106
Associate degree6.1%†43
Bachelor's degree5.4%†38
Graduate degree1.0%†7

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−9.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

411 households (±97)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k39%†159
$25k–50k18%†74
$50k–75k14%†56
$75k–100k19%†77
$100k–150k8.3%†34
$150k–200k1.9%†8
$200k or more0.7%†3

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−20.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

411 households (±97)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own49%†201
Rent51%210

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

198 households (±59)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $75057%†113
$750–1,00021%†42
$1,000–1,50022%†43

Home values

201 homes (±80)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $150k46%†93
$150k–250k17%†34
$250k–400k30%†60

Age of homes

525 homes (±126)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

2010 or later17%†90
2000–20094.6%†24
1980–199931%†162

Size of homes

525 homes (±126)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Studio0.4%†2
1 bedroom15%†79
2 bedrooms40%†210

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

337 workers (±137)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone55%†186
Carpool15%†52
Public transit0.0%0
Walk26%†89
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.4%†8
Other0.6%†2

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−35.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

329 workers (±137)

Brownsville, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under 15 min51%†167
15–29 min11%†36
30–44 min23%†75

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Bowling Green, KY

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Edmonson County, the county holding most of Brownsville's residents.

Edmonson County has 130 employer establishments, 104 for every 10,000 residents (0.42× the US rate of 248; 0.50× Kentucky's), with 958 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,461. The Census Bureau also counts 1,011 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 130; 1,011 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 104; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 958
Average annual pay: $36,461; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Edmonson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	21	16.9	1.09×About typical	142	$51,958	147
Building equipment contractors	13	10.4	1.73×More than typical	122	$54,861	31
Ambulatory health care services	10	8	0.39×Fewer than typical	62	$53,016	10
Construction of buildings	9	7.2	0.96×Too few to compare	29	$45,552	77
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	9	7.2	2.19×Too few to compare	111	$55,333	13
Offices of other health practitioners	7	5.6	0.92×Too few to compare	47	$42,681	7
Restaurants and other eating places	7	5.6	0.31×Too few to compare	52	$15,154	—
Gasoline stations	5	4	1.24×Too few to compare	49	$18,469	—
General merchandise stores	5	4	2.27×Too few to compare	32	$26,125	9
Insurance agencies and brokerages	5	4	0.91×Too few to compare	11	$40,273	14
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	4	3.2	1.21×Too few to compare	33	$28,485	6
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	4	3.2	1.30×Too few to compare	11	$50,091	14

Rank places for an industry Open Edmonson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,461 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Brownsville, Kentucky: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

624.9FY2017
624.9FY2018
4KFY2019
1KFY2020
624.9FY2021
624.9FY2022

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Brownsville, Kentucky, so they do not add up across cities.

Brownsville, Kentucky's figures are part of those of Edmonson County, KY ($32.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Brownsville is mostly in Edmonson County.

See federal money in Edmonson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Brownsville, Kentucky is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Brett GuthrieR-KY-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Edmonson County21100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Bowling Green, KY43

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2110324