How many people live in Dawson County, NE?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 24,600 people living in Dawson County, NE. That makes Dawson County the 13th-most populous county in Nebraska. It is home to 1.2% of people living in the state.
24.6K
population of Dawson County, NE (2024)
1.2%
County share of the Nebraska population (2024)
About 24,600 people lived in Dawson County, NE in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Dawson County, NE’s age demographics?
About 4,100 Dawson County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 16.7% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.5% of Nebraska’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 6,900 Dawson County residents, or 28.1% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 24.2% of Nebraska’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Dawson County, NE's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Dawson County, NE’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Hispanic residents make up 39.6% of the Dawson County, NE population, higher than the national share of 20%. Dawson County, NE also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (0.35%) than the US overall (0.2%).
In contrast, Dawson County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 51.1%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 6.5% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Dawson County, NE has a higher share of a Hispanic population than Nebraska as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Dawson County, NE is Lexington with about 11,200 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Dawson County, NE ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lexington | 11,205 |
| 2. | Cozad | 3,945 |
| 3. | Gothenburg | 3,447 |
| 4. | Overton | 594 |
| 5. | Sumner | 246 |
| 6. | Farnam | 181 |
| 7. | Eddyville | 85 |
| 8. | Balance of Dawson County | 4,851 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
