Brownsville is a relatively large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Texas. With a population of 189,382 people and 58 associated neighborhoods, Brownsville is the 19th largest community in Texas.

Brownsville is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The percentage of adults in Brownsville who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 20.87% of the adults in Brownsville have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Brownsville in 2022 was $19,704, which is low income relative to Texas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $78,816 for a family of four. However, Brownsville contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Brownsville is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Brownsville home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Brownsville, accounting for 94.56% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Brownsville residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Brownsville include German, English, Irish, French, and Italian.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Brownsville's cultural character, accounting for 27.30% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Brownsville is Spanish. Other important languages spoken here include English and Tagalog.