Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Browns Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Browns Valley beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 64 in 1880, a peak of 1,117 in 1950, 558 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1916 and a map from 1985 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Browns Valley, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Browns Valley.
In Browns Valley, 74% of households own their home, close to both Minnesota’s towns (75%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Browns Valley Public School District runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The 2 public schools in Browns Valley teach 205 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browns Valley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 128 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 3°, with about 44 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Browns Valley: 19% of residents live below the poverty line. In Browns Valley, the average trip to work is 14 minutes, against 23 minutes in Minnesota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Half the trips to work are shorter than 22 miles. The top destinations are Wheaton (10%), Sisseton (10%) and Fargo (6%).
| Browns Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 5 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Browns Valley. Among adults here, 40% have obesity. Of 32 CDC measures, Browns Valley beats the Minnesota average on 1 and trails it on 15.
| Browns Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Browns Valley | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.7% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Browns Valley’s FEMA hazard score is 53 of 100. Flood insurance has paid out on 50 claims here since 1979. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 48% come from inland flooding and 18% from cold waves. Federal aid has come to Browns Valley households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 10 have a lower share of conserved land than Browns Valley. Trails total 0.4 miles in 2 parks and preserves.
| Browns Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wadsworth Trail Historical Marker | 0.1 mi | 13 |
| 2. Sam Brown Memorial State Wayside | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Browns Valley
About 0 of every 100 Browns Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
8 notable people were born in Browns Valley.
City in Minnesota, United States
Browns Valley is a city in Traverse County, Minnesota, United States, adjacent to the South Dakota border. The population was 558 at the 2020 census. Browns Valley lies along the Little Minnesota River between the northern end of Big Stone Lake and the southern end of Lake Traverse, which is separated from the Little Minnesota River by a low and narrow continental divide that skirts the northern edge of town. The city, both lakes, and the river lie in the Traverse Gap, the bed of ancient, south-flowing Glacial River Warren, the outlet to Glacial Lake Agassiz which, when drained, became the valley of the north-flowing Red River of the North.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Browns Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
8 notable people were born here, including Arthur E. Nelson and Charles M. Dale.