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.
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, of which is land and 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
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
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 24,111. The median age was 36.4 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.2 males age 18 and over.The racial makeup of the county was 62.6% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 19.8% from some other race, and 10.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 35.8% of the population.
43.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 56.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 8,868 households in the county, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 9,792 housing units, of which 9.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%.
2000 census
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.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
Villages
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
Education
School districts include:- Callaway Public Schools
- Cozad Community Schools
- Elm Creek Public Schools
- Elwood Public Schools
- Eustis-Farnam Public Schools
- Gothenburg Public Schools
- Lexington Public Schools
- Overton Public Schools
- Sumner-Eddyville-Miller Schools