Brownton was platted in 1877, and named for Alonzo L. Brown, the original owner of the town site. A post office has been in operation at Brownton since 1878. Brownton was incorporated in 1886.
As of the census of 2010, there were 762 people, 314 households, and 197 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 349 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.0% of the population. There were 314 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couplesliving together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age in the city was 39 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 807 people, 313 households, and 210 families living in the city. The population density was 2,139.1 people per square mile. There were 344 housing units at an average density of 911.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94.92% White, 0.99% Asian, 3.47% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.09% of the population. There were 313 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,932, and the median income for a family was $48,500. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $23,177 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,290. About 5.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
