Dawson County, Nebraska

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Dawson County, Nebraska
Dawson County Courthouse in Lexington
Location in the state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location in the U.S.
Founded	1860 (authorized by Territorial Legislature) 1871 (authorized by proclamation of Acting Governor)
Named for	Jacob Dawson
Seat	Lexington
Largest city	Lexington
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,019 sq mi (2,639 km²) 1,013 sq mi (2,624 km²) 6.3 sq mi (16 km²), 0.6%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	24,111 23.4/sq mi (9/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	http://www.dawsoncountyne.org/

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 offer another possibility: 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 1,019 square miles (2,640 km²), of which 1,013 square miles (2,620 km²) is land and 6.3 square miles (16 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 283
• Nebraska Highway 21
• Nebraska Highway 23
• Nebraska Highway 40
• Nebraska Highway 47

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

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	16		—
1870	103		543.8%
1880	2,909		2,724.3%
1890	10,129		248.2%
1900	12,264		21.1%
1910	15,961		30.1%
1920	16,004		0.3%
1930	17,875		11.7%
1940	17,890		0.1%
1950	19,393		8.4%
1960	19,405		0.1%
1970	19,771		1.9%
1980	22,304		12.8%
1990	19,940		−10.6%
2000	24,365		22.2%
2010	24,326		−0.2%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 24,111 people and 8,965 households in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). 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.

Communities

Cities

• Cozad
• Gothenburg
• Lexington (county seat)

Villages

• Eddyville
• Farnam
• Overton
• Sumner

Census-designated place

• Willow Island

Unincorporated communities

• Buffalo
• Darr
• Josselyn

Politics

United States presidential election results for Dawson County, Nebraska

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,524	70.98%	2,497	27.17%	170	1.85%
2016	5,984	69.30%	2,136	24.74%	515	5.96%
2012	5,460	69.47%	2,199	27.98%	200	2.54%
2008	5,460	68.37%	2,399	30.04%	127	1.59%
2004	6,149	77.29%	1,728	21.72%	79	0.99%
2000	5,511	73.41%	1,740	23.18%	256	3.41%
1996	4,794	59.44%	2,180	27.03%	1,091	13.53%
1992	4,714	53.64%	1,741	19.81%	2,334	26.56%
1988	5,529	71.30%	2,184	28.16%	42	0.54%
1984	6,887	81.92%	1,487	17.69%	33	0.39%
1980	6,689	77.70%	1,463	16.99%	457	5.31%
1976	5,413	67.79%	2,395	29.99%	177	2.22%
1972	6,211	81.35%	1,424	18.65%	0	0.00%
1968	5,221	71.97%	1,614	22.25%	419	5.78%
1964	4,577	54.70%	3,790	45.30%	0	0.00%
1960	6,480	73.07%	2,388	26.93%	0	0.00%
1956	6,503	76.13%	2,039	23.87%	0	0.00%
1952	7,130	79.66%	1,820	20.34%	0	0.00%
1948	4,203	61.75%	2,603	38.25%	0	0.00%
1944	5,017	68.85%	2,270	31.15%	0	0.00%
1940	5,445	66.02%	2,803	33.98%	0	0.00%
1936	3,573	46.39%	4,021	52.21%	108	1.40%
1932	2,859	38.09%	4,513	60.13%	133	1.77%
1928	5,125	74.25%	1,718	24.89%	59	0.85%
1924	3,016	50.67%	1,526	25.64%	1,410	23.69%
1920	3,384	65.99%	1,444	28.16%	300	5.85%
1916	1,444	40.74%	1,989	56.12%	111	3.13%
1912	449	13.22%	1,613	47.48%	1,335	39.30%
1908	1,737	46.05%	1,926	51.06%	109	2.89%
1904	1,712	61.52%	457	16.42%	614	22.06%
1900	1,280	46.36%	1,399	50.67%	82	2.97%
1896	1,128	44.29%	1,357	53.28%	62	2.43%
1892	1,188	48.23%	182	7.39%	1,093	44.38%
1888	1,087	61.31%	614	34.63%	72	4.06%
1884	686	63.23%	384	35.39%	15	1.38%
1880	347	65.97%	179	34.03%	0	0.00%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dawson County, Nebraska

External links

• Dawson County Sheriff's Office