What it's like to live in Brownwood
Brownwood is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brownwood deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
How Brownwood compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Brownwood
Based on Brownwood's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,764
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $35,280 a year
- 53% of Brownwood renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$28,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,440
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 38% below US
$882/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $882 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $144,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $144,400 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Brown County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Brown County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 28% above US
421 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 2340/100k · Brownwood Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 46% below US
14 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14.1 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 34°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 1.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 47% below US
19% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Brownwood's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($882/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Brownwood
All Texas guides →Moving to Stephenville →
56 mi away · pop. 21,682
Rent $1,134/mo · Income $53,015
Compare with Brownwood →Moving to Copperas Cove →
75 mi away · pop. 37,947
Rent $1,043/mo · Income $71,225
Compare with Brownwood →Moving to Gatesville →
75 mi away · pop. 16,228
Rent $1,007/mo · Income $57,217
Compare with Brownwood →Not sure Brownwood is the one?
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