Dawson County, Nebraska

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 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 , of which is land and (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
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 . 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
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Dawson County, Nebraska
References
External links
Dawson County Sheriff's Office
Nebraska counties
Lexington Micropolitan Statistical Area
1871 establishments in Nebraska
Populated places established in 1871