13% of working residents work locally in Brewster. Employers in Brewster added 2,821 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 3,044. Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles. The top destinations are Worthington (32%), Sioux Falls (5%) and Fulda (3%).

13%work in town

	Brewster	Minnesota towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	13%	9.8%	8%
Below the poverty line	6.3%	7%	9.6%
Average trip to work	23 minutes	23 minutes	25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Brewster13%

Worthington32%

Sioux Falls5%

Fulda3%

Windom2%

11 mi

median commute distance

3,044

jobs based in Brewster

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageBrewster’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here3,044 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work13% work in Brewster Commute times23 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 11 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Schools

The schools Brewster’s kids attend

Public schools: the Round Lake-Brewster Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 2 public schools serve Brewster, with 495 students in all.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Round Lake-Brewster ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	377	C

Full pageBrewster’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsROUND LAKE-BREWSTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS Vs. the neighbors2 bordering towns Every school2 schools · Round Lake-Brewster Elementary Questions“Are Brewster’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Housing

Homes in Brewster are worth about $268K, by Zillow’s estimate

In Brewster, nearly three in five households are owner-occupiers. Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026. The midpoint rent for Brewster comes to $725 a month.

$268KZillow home value

	Brewster	Minnesota towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	59%	75%	73%
Median rent	$725 a month	$1,196 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Brewster$268K

Minnesota$349K

+5.1%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageBrewster’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 5.1% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.2 years of income Rents$725 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighbors2 bordering towns

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Brewster’s year

In Brewster, the peak summer temperature is 83°F, close to Minnesota’s towns (82°F) and below U.S. towns (85°F).

45″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter9–27°

Spring34–55°

Summer59–81°

Fall36–58°

Oct 4

typical first frost

May 3

typical last frost

+0.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageBrewster’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 6°Rain & snow45″ of snow a winter · 31 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Brewster is

Just over a tenth of Brewster adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, against 7.3% in Minnesota’s towns and 8.1% across U.S. towns. For adults locally, the share who smoke cigarettes is 17%.

	Brewster	Minnesota towns	U.S. towns
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	30%	23%	25%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	73%	75%	79%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	12%	7.3%	8.1%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	17%	14%	14%

32 measures vs. Minnesota

0 better20 too close to call12 worse

What stands out	Brewster	MN
More uninsured adults	12%	7.5%
More adults facing food insecurity	16.4%	11.4%
More adults facing a utility shut-off	7.7%	5.7%

Sanford Worthington Medical Center

8.5 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageBrewster’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby8.5 miles to an ER · Sanford Worthington Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than MN on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

Brewster has a moderate natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

FEMA puts nearly two fifths of Brewster’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 17% to hail. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Brewster after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. For Brewster, the FEMA hazard score is 42 of 100.

42risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingHailTornadoes

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageBrewster’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters2 federal disasters · Paid out in Brewster Get ready1.1 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Outdoors

0% of Brewster is conserved land

0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

0%conserved

conserved · 0 of 882 acres

0.0 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Brewster City Park	—	3

Full pageBrewster’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map0.0 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk3 acres · Brewster City Park Conserved land0% conserved · 0 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Brewster?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Brewster

18pages on Brewster

The big questions

Schools2 schools HealthBetter than MN on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$268K typical home · up 5.1% in a year Work & commute$83K median household income · 3,044 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 42% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors0 mi of trails · 0% conserved land PlacesAttractions6 nearby · Dinehart-Holt House 7 mi LibraryWorthington Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1886 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 254 residents Climate83° summer highs · 45″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 56119 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Brewster; the nearest are

Iowa Lakes Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Estherville, IA37.5 mi$7,392 in-state tuition Southwest Minnesota State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Marshall54.3 mi$10,361 in-state tuition

About 2 of every 100 Brewster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A job hub

Every workday, about 3,013 people come to Brewster for work

Where Brewster’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

3,044jobs based in Brewster

13%of working residents work in town

11 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Brewster

City in Minnesota, United States

Brewster is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 506 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 1.4 sq mi
Elevation: 1,490 ft
ZIP code: 56119
Area code: 507

Questions about Brewster

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Brewster, MN a good place to live?

Brewster has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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What makes Brewster stand out

Jobs vs. working residents

508 people, and everyone knows the way

140 years in pictures

Moving to Brewster: who provides what

The data

With 12.6 jobs for every working resident, Brewster draws in 3,013 commuters