Brown County, Illinois Housing Market

In Brown County, Illinois, the median home value is $150,300, with a median monthly rent of $698. This places Brown County at #2238 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #40 within Illinois.

Median Home Value $150,300
Median Rent $698/mo
Owner Occupancy 71.8%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.9

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

ℹ️ FHFA HPI data is not available for this county due to limited mortgage transaction volume.

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

4,152
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,313
  • Establishments: 105
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

7
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 7
  • Multi-family: 0
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
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Migration Patterns

+28
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 1,956 (avg $65,359)
  • Outflow: 1,928 (avg $64,798)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

How Brown County Compares

MetricBrown CountyIllinois AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $150,300 $153,019 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $698 $867 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 71.8% 75.8% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.9 14.5 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Brown County is 1.8% below the Illinois state average and 34.0% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $698/month is 19.5% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 17.9, the buy-vs-rent decision in Brown County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Brown County has an owner-occupancy rate of 71.8%, compared to 75.8% in Illinois and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more renter-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Cass County Iowa $150,300 $777
Assumption Parish Louisiana $150,300 $810
Rock Island County Illinois $150,400 $889
Douglas County Illinois $150,400 $848
Louisa County Iowa $150,100 $775

Other Counties in Illinois

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Rock Island County $150,400 $889 69.7%
Douglas County $150,400 $848 76.9%
Henry County $151,600 $842 79.9%
Mercer County $146,700 $786 83.8%
Lee County $154,600 $894 73.6%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).