What it's like to live in Brownsburg
Brownsburg is a small city in Indiana with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brownsburg deals with a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Clean air
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Brownsburg compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Brownsburg
Based on Brownsburg's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,972
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $59,440 a year
- 50% of Brownsburg renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$61,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $30,940
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,486/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,486 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $309,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $309,400 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 33% below US
2.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 2.9%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 86% below US
46 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 677/100k · Brownsburg Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 30% above US
47% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 47% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
12 public schools inside the boundary
There are 12 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Bottom line
Brownsburg's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin and cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,486/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home).
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