Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Brownville ranks 416th of 745 in New York, with a B− overall. That leaves it better than 47% of U.S. towns. Its lowest grade is for walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $214K, 3.2 years of the Watertown metro’s $66K median household income. Hazard risk is its strong suit (A−). Its National Register listings include William Archer House and Gen. Jacob Brown Mansion.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Brownville beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,990 in 1820, a low of 2,624 in 1880, 6,263 in 2010. The archive holds 3 maps from 1943 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Brownville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brownville, and how to reach them.
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 Brownville.
Brownville gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, has commutes shorter than most of New York and has property taxes about half the New York norm.
The median property tax bill is $3,003, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The share of households in Brownville who own their home: 85%. The midpoint rent for Brownville comes to $783 a month, below both New York’s towns ($1,103 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Brownville home is worth about $214,000, up 0.7% in a year, 59% below the New York typical home.
| Brownville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $783 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The General Brown Central School District runs its public schools. The largest public high school is General Brown Junior-Senior High School, with 675 students. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownville SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 374 | C |
| General Brown Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 675 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,921 working residents takes 24.8 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Brownville had 633 jobs in 2023, down 118 from 2013. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 8% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Watertown (30%), Watertown (11%) and Hounsfield (4%). The median commute is under 9 miles.
| Brownville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $88,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.8% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The risk rating from FEMA in Brownville is 23 of 100. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2014. Expected losses in Brownville break down as 74% from inland flooding and 8% from cold waves. 12 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 1979.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Watertown weather station, 11 miles away, records that 116 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 12°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The trail density for Brownville comes to 0.1 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in New York’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. There are 4.1 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Perch River Wildlife Management Area, at 1,666 acres.
| Brownville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Downybrook Nature Reserve | 3.8 mi | 157 |
| 2. Perch River Wildlife Management Area | — | 1,666 |
| 3. Dexter Marsh Wildlife Management Area | — | 401 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among adults in Brownville, 39% have obesity. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Brownville is ahead of New York on 6 and behind on 6.
| Brownville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Brownville | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 17.2% |
| More adults with obesity | 38.5% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Brownville
About 2 of every 100 Brownville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Brownville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Brownville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Brownville is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 6,263 at the 2010 census, up from 5,839 in 2000. The town is named after Jacob Brown, an early settler and leader. Brownville is located in the western part of the county, northwest of Watertown. The town contains a village also named Brownville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Brownville.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownville · Brownville | #416 | B− | B | — | B− | B |
| Lyme | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Hounsfield | #513 | C | D | — | B | B |
| Glen Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Watertown | #732 | D− | D | — | C− | C+ |
| Dexter | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pamelia | #375 | B− | A− | — | C+ | B− |
| Clayton | #422 | B− | C | — | B+ | B |
Lyme has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Brownville, Lyme, Hounsfield, Watertown, Pamelia and Clayton report no FBI crime data of their own. Glen Park and Dexter aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Brownville and Brownville are one community, graded once. Compare Brownville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brownville grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #416 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
