Dawson County, NE

County

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2024 Population

24,202

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.6

0.559% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

10.8%

12.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$69,880

6.88% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$166,200

5.32% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

12,602

3.08% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Dawson County, NE reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

89.3% of the residents in Dawson County, NE are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Dawson County, NE was $166,200, and the homeownership rate was 66.4%.

Most people in Dawson County, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Dawson County, NE was 2 cars per household.

Dawson County, NE borders Buffalo County, NE, Custer County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Gosper County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, and Phelps County, NE.

United States Nebraska Lexington, NE

Population & Diversity

Dawson County, NE is home to a population of 24.2k people, from which 89.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 22.7% of Dawson County, NE residents were born outside of the country (5.49k people).

In 2024, there were 3.03 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (12.8k people) in Dawson County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.21k Other (Hispanic) and 2.76k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.3%

2024 Citizenship

88.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.3% of Dawson County, NE residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Dawson County, NE was 88.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Dawson County, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Dawson County, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
12.8k ± 65
Other (Hispanic)
4.21k ± 668
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2.76k ± 559

37.4%

Hispanic Population

9.05k people

37.4% of the people in Dawson County, NE are hispanic (9.05k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Dawson County, NE as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Nebraska.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
46,760 ± 5,245 people
Guatemala
11,721 ± 2,650 people
El Salvador
6,922 ± 2,039 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Nebraska was Mexico, the natal country of 46,760 Nebraska residents, followed by Guatemala with 11,721 and El Salvador with 6,922.

Foreign-Born Population

22.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.49k people

22.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.38k people

As of 2024, 22.7% of Dawson County, NE residents (5.49k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Dawson County, NE was 22.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Dawson County, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
483 ± 124
Gulf War (2001-)
113 ± 52
Gulf War (1990s)
102 ± 53

Dawson County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.27 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Dawson County, NE.

Economy

The economy of Dawson County, NE employs 12.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Dawson County, NE were Manufacturing (3,305 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (1,401 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,380 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($74,420), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,292), and Utilities ($66,042).

Employment

Occupations

12.6k

2024 Value

± 812

3.08%

1 Year growth

± 8.84%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dawson County, NE grew at a rate of 3.08%, from 12.2k employees to 12.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Dawson County, NE, are Production Occupations (1,884 people), Management Occupations (1,353 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,098 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Dawson County, NE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Nebraska (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

12.6k

2024 Value

± 812

3.08%

1 Year growth

± 8.84%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dawson County, NE grew at a rate of 3.08%, from 12.2k employees to 12.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Dawson County, NE, are Manufacturing (3,305 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (1,401 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,380 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Dawson County, NE, though some of these residents may live in Dawson County, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,039

Median earning men ± $2,722

$39,034

Median earning women ± $2,341

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,609), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($68,234), and Retail Trade ($66,680).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($63,000), Public Administration ($57,344), and Information ($51,500).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Y-Axis

2.25%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.03M people employed in Nebraska. This represents a 2.25% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.87%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Nebraska.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

66
Other Services (except Public Administration)
51
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
42
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$208k
Manufacturing
$58.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$36.7k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing the state of Nebraska. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Nebraska is currently represented by 3 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Dawson County, NE. Showing the available data for Nebraska.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (59.3%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.9%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.849%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Nebraska for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Nebraska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Deb Fischer

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Pete Ricketts

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 12, 2023
Appointed to the seat on January 12, 2023 following the resignation of Ben Sasse.

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing Nebraska.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Nebraska over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Dawson County, NE was $166,200 in 2024, which is 0.5 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $157,800 to $166,200, a 5.32% increase. The homeownership rate in Dawson County, NE is 66.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Dawson County, NE have an average commute time of 17.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Dawson County, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Dawson County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.302%.

Housing

Property

$166,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,735

$6,068

Median Property Taxes

±$484

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Dawson County, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Dawson County, NE compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

66.4%

Homeownership

2024

66.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.4% of the housing units in Dawson County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 64.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Dawson County, NE compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$69,880

Median Household Income

± $4,325

9.15k

Number of Households

± 631

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.15k households in Dawson County, NE grew to $69,880 from the previous year's value of $65,383.

The following chart displays the households in Dawson County, NE distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Dawson County, NE is from Nebraska.

0.447

2023 Wage GINI in Nebraska

0.444

2022 Wage GINI in Nebraska

In 2023, the income inequality in Nebraska was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.606% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Nebraska was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Nebraska in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Nebraska across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.8%)
Carpooled (14.6%)
Worked At Home (2.44%)

In 2024, 78.8% of workers in Dawson County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.6%) and those who worked at home (2.44%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Dawson County, NE have a shorter commute time (17.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.01% of the workforce in Dawson County, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Dawson County, NE compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Dawson County, NE distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Dawson County, NE have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Dawson County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.302%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

10.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Dawson County, NE (2.6k out of 24k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Dawson County, NE is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13.8% of the children was living in poverty in Dawson County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 152 in Dawson County, NE. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 6.73 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

90.1% of the population of Dawson County, NE has health coverage, with 49.6% on employee plans, 13.1% on Medicaid, 12.1% on Medicare, 14.5% on non-group plans, and 0.896% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Dawson County, NE see 1,838 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,838 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1706 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 602 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.8% were men and 48.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,838 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Dawson County, NE

Primary care physicians in Dawson County, NE see an average of 1,838 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,838 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Dawson County, NE in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 29% under 18 years, 20% between 18 and 34 years, 34.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.8% were men and 48.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.87%

Uninsured

49.6%

Employer Coverage

13.1%

Medicaid

12.1%

Medicare

14.5%

Non-Group

0.896%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Dawson County, NE declined by 14.6% from 11.5% to 9.87%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Dawson County, NE changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 67.3 in Dawson County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Dawson County, NE.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.4% in Dawson County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Dawson County, NE.