Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,357.
Brownsville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $75K for a typical one, or 1.4 years of the Monroe metro’s $52K median household income. It grades C overall, 61st among Louisiana's 161 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $36K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools outperform 80% of the state's. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Brownsville, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 161 Louisiana towns, just 1 have a lower average trip to work than Brownsville.
Where Brownsville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Riser Elementary School | PK–5 | 313 |
| Riser Middle School | 6–8 | 410 |
Where Brownsville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Brownsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 5 maps from 1940 on.
Explore the history →Brownsville is unincorporated, so Ouachita Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Brownsville.
Brownsville carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding), pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and draws workers from Monroe and beyond.
Against the 1,340 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brownsville’s, it is less healthy than 77%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 71% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
38% of Brownsville adults get no exercise outside work. Brownsville beats the Louisiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 22% of Brownsville adults smoke cigarettes.
| Brownsville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Brownsville | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.3% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.9% | 22.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.1% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $75K.
Its public schools are run by the Ouachita Parish school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riser Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 410 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
2,495 jobs are based in Brownsville, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 3,209 in 2013 to 2,495.
Most working residents leave Brownsville for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Brownsville has lost 714 jobs, to 2,495 in 2023. The top destinations are Monroe (31%), West Monroe (21%) and Ruston (3%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of Louisiana towns; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Brownsville’s FEMA risk score is 18 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 35.6°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 90% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 93.1°.
Brownsville has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Brownsville is 93°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Brownsville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 42°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 1.4 years of the Monroe metro’s $52K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 99% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $340, against $1,180 across Louisiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
53% of households own their home in Brownsville.
| Brownsville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $857 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brownsville. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Ancient siteWatson Brake
6 mi MuseumChennault Aviation and Military Museum
3 mi GardenBiedenharn Museum and Gardens4 mi Zoo & aquariumLouisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo
28 mi TheatreDixie Center for the Arts
28 mi GardenLouisiana Tech University ArboretumWatson Brake: Herb Roe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chennault Aviation and Military Museum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Biedenharn Museum and Gardens: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dixie Center for the Arts: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Louisiana Tech University Arboretum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Brownsville
About 3 of every 100 Brownsville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
Unincorporated community in Louisiana, United States
Brownsville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Brownsville had a population of 4,353.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Brownsville.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | #61 | C | B | — | A− | D− |
| West Monroe | #127 | D | C+ | D− | A− | D |
| Bawcomville | #81 | C | B | — | A− | D− |
Brownsville and Bawcomville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Brownsville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brownsville grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #61 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $75,000, 65% below the Louisiana typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
