Dawson County, Nebraska

Dawson County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 24,111. Its county seat is Lexington.

Dawson County is part of the Lexington, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Dawson County is represented by the prefix 18 (it had the 18th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History
Dawson County was established by the territorial legislature in 1860; it officially became a county in 1871 by proclamation of acting Governor William James. The county website states that the county was named for Jacob Dawson, the first postmaster in the settlement of Lancaster County, Nebraska. Other sources state that it was named after Pennsylvania Congressman John Littleton Dawson.

Geography
Dawson County lies near the center of Nebraska, in the portion of the state that observes Central Time. According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1019 sqmi, of which 1013 sqmi is land and 6.3 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

 * I-80.svg Interstate 80
 * US 30.svg U.S. Highway 30
 * US 283.svg U.S. Highway 283
 * N-21.svg Nebraska Highway 21
 * N-23.svg Nebraska Highway 23
 * N-40.svg Nebraska Highway 40
 * N-47.svg Nebraska Highway 47

Transit

 * Burlington Trailways
 * Express Arrow

Protected areas

 * Bitterns Call State Wildlife Management Area
 * Dogwood State Wildlife Management Area
 * East Willow Island State Wildlife Management Area
 * Gallagher Canyon State Recreation Area

Adjacent counties

 * Buffalo County – east
 * Phelps County – southeast
 * Gosper County – south
 * Frontier County – southwest
 * Lincoln County – west
 * Custer County – north

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 24,111 people and 8,965 households in the county. The population density was 24 /mi2. There were 10,341 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 72.7% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 2.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 28.7% from other races, and 10.4% from two or more races. 35.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In the 2000 United States Census it was reported that 32.0% were of German, 6.7% American, 6.7% Irish and 6.4% English ancestry.

There were 8,965 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.21.

The county population contained 29.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,132, and the median income for a family was $42,224. Males had a median income of $26,865 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,973. About 8.60% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Cozad
 * Gothenburg
 * Lexington (county seat)

Villages

 * Eddyville
 * Farnam
 * Overton
 * Sumner

Census-designated place

 * Willow Island

Unincorporated communities

 * Buffalo
 * Darr
 * Josselyn