Dawson Springs, KY

Census Place

2024 Population

1,951

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.6

6.09% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

30.5%

13.4% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$32,838

3.89% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$70,000

4.76% 1-year decline

Population & Diversity

Dawson Springs, KY is home to a population of 1.95k people, from which 99.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.154% of Dawson Springs, KY residents were born outside of the country (3 people).

In 2024, there were 12.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.71k people) in Dawson Springs, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 134 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 46 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.8% of Dawson Springs, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Dawson Springs, KY was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Dawson Springs, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.71k ± 363
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
134 ± 154
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
46 ± 45

2.87%

Hispanic Population

56 people

2.87% of the people in Dawson Springs, KY are hispanic (56 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,417 ± 4,537 people
Cuba
21,613 ± 3,601 people
India
11,987 ± 2,684 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,417 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 21,613 and India with 11,987.

Foreign-Born Population

0.154%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3 people

0.203%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4 people

As of 2024, 0.154% of Dawson Springs, KY residents (3 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 Springs, KY was 0.203%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
63 ± 40
Gulf War (2001-)
16 ± 36
Gulf War (1990s)
8 ± 18

Dawson Springs, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.94 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Dawson Springs, KY.

Economy

The economy of Dawson Springs, KY employs 496 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Dawson Springs, KY were Health Care & Social Assistance (136 people), Retail Trade (79 people), and Construction (76 people), and the highest paying industries were Retail Trade ($52,159), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,964), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($51,071).

Employment

Occupations

496

2024 Value

± 162

11%

1 Year growth

± 40.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dawson Springs, KY grew at a rate of 11%, from 447 employees to 496 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Dawson Springs, KY, are Construction & Extraction Occupations (97 people), Sales & Related Occupations (56 people), and Health Technologists & Technicians (54 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Dawson Springs, KY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (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

496

2024 Value

± 162

11%

1 Year growth

± 40.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dawson Springs, KY grew at a rate of 11%, from 447 employees to 496 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Dawson Springs, KY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (136 people), Retail Trade (79 people), and Construction (76 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Dawson Springs, KY, though some of these residents may live in Dawson Springs, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,165

Median earning men ± $3,560

$35,592

Median earning women ± $10,783

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Retail Trade ($55,250), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,964), and Manufacturing ($40,893).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,667), Manufacturing ($34,063), and Retail Trade ($11,806).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Dawson Springs, KY was $70,000 in 2024, which is 0.21 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $73,500 to $70,000, a 4.76% decrease. The homeownership rate in Dawson Springs, KY is 62.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Dawson Springs, KY have an average commute time of 26 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Dawson Springs, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$70,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,454

$484

Median Property Taxes

±$113

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 Springs, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

62.5%

Homeownership

2024

64.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 62.5% of the housing units in Dawson Springs, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Dawson Springs, KY 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.

$32,838

Median Household Income

± $8,866

774

Number of Households

± 155

In 2024, the median household income of the 774 households in Dawson Springs, KY grew to $32,838 from the previous year's value of $31,607.

The following chart displays the households in Dawson Springs, KY 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 $10k - $15k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Dawson Springs, KY is from Kentucky.

0.446

2024 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2024, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.585% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.8%)
Carpooled (8.27%)
Worked At Home (7.06%)

In 2024, 80.8% of workers in Dawson Springs, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.27%) and those who worked at home (7.06%).

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

26 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Dawson Springs, KY have a shorter commute time (26 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.17% of the workforce in Dawson Springs, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

30.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Dawson Springs, KY (562 out of 1.85k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 65 - 74.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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