BrownsvilleSurrey
Surrey is split into 31 neighbourhoods, and this is one. Home to 23,515 people, this neighbourhood lies in Surrey.
Is Brownsville a good place to live?
The weak point is cost of living (D−). Health outcomes beat most towns (A). Overall, that makes a C−, good for #208 of 250 in British Columbia. It comes out better than 15% of Canadian towns. School results trail most towns (D).
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Brownsville grades
Each subject compares Brownsville with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Brownsville stand out
The 3 things Brownsville does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brownsville.
Rent takes more of local pay in Brownsville than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 29% of household income
Measured across the Vancouver metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
Owners make up 58% of households. 27% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, above British Columbia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 29% | 24% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 58% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 27% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Health in Brownsville beats 91% of Canadian towns
Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 15% of the region’s adults on average, close to British Columbia’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (17%). The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 50%; British Columbia as a whole is at 50%. A baby born in the region can expect 83.2 years, 85.8 for a girl and 80.7 for a boy (2022/2024). What sets Brownsville apart within its region is distance, and at 3.0 km to a hospital it is ordinary (3.7 km typical). For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Fraser South Health Service Delivery Area, Brownsville included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.2 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 8.2% | 9% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 50% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
41 of Brownsville’s 55 tested schools score in the lower two fifths in British Columbia
They come under 3 school boards. Taken together, Brownsville and its 3 km edge hold 45 elementary schools, 10 secondary schools, 3 schools for every grade and 9 alternative or adult schools.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Hills Elementary Bottom fifth in British ColumbiaIn BrownsvilleElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| L.A. Matheson Secondary Bottom fifth in British ColumbiaIn BrownsvilleSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
| John Knox Christian - Secondary Campus IndependentResults in the top fifth in British ColumbiaElementary | Elementary | – | Independent |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
For the force that serves Brownsville, the Crime Severity Index is 94, above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for the Surrey service area
Violent incidents in its police area came to 9.7 per 1,000 residents a year, below British Columbia’s towns (12.5) and Canadian towns (12) alike. For violence alone, its police area’s index was 76, about level with British Columbia’s towns (76) and below Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 94 | 83 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 9.7 | 12.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Trips to work from Brownsville take longer than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 35 min on average
Driving is how 77% of commuters got to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 35 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 77% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
July afternoons in Brownsville reach 25.0°C (British Columbia towns 23.1°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Winter lows average 0.5°C in January, about level with British Columbia’s towns (0.5°C) and above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). For the wettest month, look to January: 252 mm on average. Gardeners get 201 frost-free days, from 11 April to 30 October. Most of the snow comes in December, about 14 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,649 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | 0.5°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 60 | 60 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 37 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Pitt Meadows)
Few places match Brownsville for protected land nearby: more than nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
For a national park, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is 41 km away. A provincial park, Mount Seymour Park, lies 15 km away. Within 10 km, the count of public protected areas is 117, above British Columbia’s towns (14) and Canadian towns (4) alike. Green Timbers Urban Forest Park (171 ha) is the biggest, 2.0 km from town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 117 | 14 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 11% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Earthquake risk in Brownsville runs 16 times the typical Canadian town’s: $0.47 per $1,000 a year
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Fraser South health region
Flood mapping exists: a study by City of Surrey. Wildfire is rare near Brownsville: 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.003% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.47 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Earthquake risk published for the city of Surrey, not by town
More of Brownsville belongs to a visible minority than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 83%
1.6% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below both British Columbia’s towns (5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Over-65s are 14% of the population. Under-15s account for 15% of the population.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.1% of Brownsville’s residents are women
Census 2021 put women at 11,545 and men at 11,945; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Brownsville | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 72% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 14% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 24% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 41% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Brownsville, November normally means 10°C afternoons and 2°C nights
December follows at 6°C by day and freezing by night. In November, the normal is 249 mm of rain and snow. Expect around 3 cm of snow in November. ECCC’s forecast for Pitt Meadows is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 7°C | 0°C | 600 mm |
| Spring | 15°C | 5°C | 373 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 153 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 6°C | 523 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Pitt Meadows); the forecast is on the Weather page
Brownsville’s MP is Randeep Sarai (Liberal Party of Canada), for Surrey Centre
Of the 43 Commons seats from British Columbia, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 20.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Fewer visits per person served than three in four British Columbia’s town libraries: Surrey Public Library counts 3.4
Surrey Public Library serves the whole of Surrey, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 703,615 people, Brownsville among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Everything we know about Brownsville
Holy Eucharist Cathedral and 21 more in and around Brownsville
The best-known places to visit in and around Brownsville come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
CathedralHoly Trinity Cathedral1.8 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumThe Black Arts Centre1.6 km outside town, to the eastArt galleryArt gallerySurrey Art Gallery1.5 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric shipHistoric shipSamson V1.7 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumFraser River Discovery Centre1.6 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Holy Trinity Cathedral: sageb1, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Brownsville
No notable person born in Brownsville is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Raymond Burr: NBC TV, Public domain · Robert Langlands: Author - Dr. Jeff Mozzochi (passed copyright for the photo to owner - professor Robert Phelan Langlands), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Devin Townsend: Andre Mesker from Oosterwolde, the Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Robert Thirsk: NASA, Public domain · Alexz Johnson: Justin Higuchi, CC BY 2.0 · Brendan Fehr: Kristin Dos Santos from Los Angeles, California, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Brownsville
Neighbourhood in Surrey
No official boundary marks Brownsville off from the rest of Surrey: TownRatings draws it from the census’s dissemination areas and takes its name from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 23,515 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- City
- Surrey
- Census subdivision
- 5915004
Brownsville’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | 23,515 | — | C− | D− | C− | A |
| Whalley | 52,642 | 2.8 | D | D− | C− | A |
| Strawberry Hill | 37,037 | 4.2 | D | D− | C− | A |
| Bridgeview | 3,511 | 4.2 | C− | D− | C− | A |
| Newton | 51,222 | 4.3 | D | D− | C− | A |
| New Westminster | 92,124 | 4.6 | C+ | D− | C | A |
| Port Mann | 5,988 | 5 | C | D− | C− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Brownsville
How old are the people of Brownsville?
At 34.6, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 15% of the population and seniors 14%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).