Dawson County, Nebraska Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Dawson County, Nebraska, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Dawson County, Nebraska. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Dawson County, Nebraska. The estimated population of Dawson County, Nebraska is 24,031 people, with a median age of 36.

We can look at the total population in Dawson County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
24,031
+1.66%
+0.44%
2020
23,638
 -0.4% -
2019
23,733
 -0.3% -
2018
23,804
 -0.51% -
2017
23,925
 - -

Population of Dawson County, Nebraska by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
56.9%
60%
 -5.17%
Black/African American
6.6%
5.7%
 +15.79%
Native
0.2%
0.4%
 -50.00%
Hispanic
34%
33.1%
 +2.72%
Asian
0.9%
0%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.1%
0.6%
 +83.33%
Other
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Dawson County, Nebraska by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 36 +0.28% 36.4 +2.25% 35.7 -2.19%
2020 35.9 +0.56% 35.6 +1.14% 36.5 -1.08%
2019 35.7 -0.56% 35.2 -0.28% 36.9 -0.27%
2018 35.9 +0.28% 35.3 0% 37 +1.65%
2017 35.8 - 35.3 - 36.4 -

The median age of Dawson County, Nebraska gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 1,905 +7.65% 1,937 -1.15% 2,044 1,913
10 to 19 1,772 -8.45% 1,546 +0.63% 1,617 1,550
20 to 29 1,658 -20.23% 1,443 +0.16% 1,346 1,444
30 to 39 1,471 +29.61% 1,384 +1.37% 1,956 1,392
40 to 49 1,504 -17.61% 1,343 -0.25% 1,249 1,331
50 to 59 1,751 -8.79% 1,407 -4.52% 1,600 1,337
60 to 69 1,183 +11.32% 1,171 +6.49% 1,319 1,245
70+ 991 +24.26% 1,459 -1.58% 1,252 1,436

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Dawson County, Nebraska is $58,402.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Dawson County.

  • Under 25
    $54,102.00
  • 25 to 44
    $65,064.00
  • 45 to 64
    $77,500.00
  • 65 and over
    $41,802.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Dawson County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Dawson County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Dawson County, Nebraska is currently $74,740.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

2.70% of households in Dawson County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Dawson County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    18.65%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.82%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    21.98%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.10%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    17.21%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.53%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.70%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Dawson County is $31,039.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Dawson County by the total population of Dawson County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Dawson County, Nebraska, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Dawson County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    6.53%
  • Bachelor's degree
    23.40%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    16.24%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    49.56%
  • Less than high school diploma
    4.27%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Dawson County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Dawson County over the age of 16 is 18,203.

Of those people, a total of 69.60% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Dawson County is 67.20%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 1,296 58.20% 10.90%
20 to 24 years 1,357 89.50% 10.70%
25 to 29 years 1,433 81.20% 1.20%
30 to 34 years 1,686 87.70% 1.20%
35 to 44 years 2,953 90.10% 2.80%
45 to 54 years 2,646 83.00% 3.40%
55 to 59 years 1,580 77.60% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 1,346 73.00% 2.10%
65 to 74 years 2,147 33.60% 1.00%
75 years and over 1,759 16.10% 2.50%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Dawson County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 14,297 67.80% 3.10%
Black or African American 1,148 88.10% 1.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 44 84.10% 40.50%
Asian 198 66.20% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 16 100.00% 0.00%
Other 1,842 74.20% 7.60%
Two or more races 658 65.00% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 5,566 75.20% 6.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 11,093 64.80% 1.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Dawson County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Dawson County is 12,241, with median earnings of $37,962.00.

Women in Dawson County, Nebraska earning approximately 68.90% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 12,241 $37,962.00
Male 6,878 $41,956.00
Female 5,363 $28,910.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 1,057 $43,750.00
Business and Financial 207 $47,614.00
Computer and Mathematical 32 $43,214.00
Architecture and Engineering 97 $67,578.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 105 $27,083.00
Community and Social Service 148 $33,194.00
Legal 66 $43,958.00
Educational and Library 800 $46,875.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 68 $31,154.00
Healthcare Practitioners 433 $55,489.00
Healthcare Support 263 $23,184.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 19 $30,208.00
Law Enforcement 58 $52,222.00
Food Preparation and Serving 509 $8,977.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 461 $21,583.00
Personal Care and Service 298 $16,415.00
Sales 976 $24,542.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,181 $37,344.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 327 $33,892.00
Construction and Extraction 830 $43,206.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 535 $51,705.00
Production 2,289 $39,232.00
Transportation and Material Moving 761 $66,875.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 805 $44,637.00 252 $41,667.00
Business and Financial 50 $67,083.00 157 $43,631.00
Computer and Mathematical 8 $26,250.00 24 $43,571.00
Architecture and Engineering 81 $65,156.00 16 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 100 $26,984.00 5 $0.00
Community and Social Service 22 $22,500.00 126 $33,611.00
Legal 0 $0.00 66 $43,958.00
Educational and Library 303 $52,695.00 497 $36,442.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 13 $0.00 55 $27,083.00
Healthcare Practitioners 74 $70,469.00 359 $54,612.00
Healthcare Support 12 $14,000.00 251 $23,340.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 19 $30,208.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 52 $53,333.00 6 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 145 $2,499.00 364 $9,091.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 242 $30,985.00 219 $17,438.00
Personal Care and Service 11 $0.00 287 $16,589.00
Sales 440 $40,096.00 536 $13,611.00
Office and Administrative Support 185 $47,736.00 996 $36,299.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 253 $38,558.00 74 $22,988.00
Construction and Extraction 733 $40,586.00 97 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 535 $51,705.00 0 $0.00
Production 1,572 $39,953.00 717 $33,036.00
Transportation and Material Moving 741 $67,868.00 20 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 8,799 households in Dawson County, with an average household size of 2.69 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 6,234 families in Dawson County with an average family size of 3.21 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 4,670 640 924 2,565
Average Household Size 3.21 3.73 3.48 1.21
Total Families 4,670 640 924 0
Average Household Size 3.19 3.23 3.31 0

Poverty

Of the 6,234 families in Dawson County, 8.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Dawson County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 9,839 housing units in Dawson County, Nebraska.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 8,799 89.43%
Vacant 1,040 10.57%

27.88% of the total 9,839 housing units in Dawson County are rental units. This is approximately 2,743 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 5,793 are occupied by the owner - or 58.88% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Dawson County is $799.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Dawson County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    263
  • Less than $500
    377
  • $500 to $999
    1,853
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    438
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    13
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    16
  • $3,000 or more
    46

Property Value

The median value of a property in Dawson County is $123,100.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Dawson County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    824
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,592
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,175
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    972
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    625
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    372
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    147
  • $1,000,000 or more
    86

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Dawson County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Dawson County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,046
  • 1940 to 1949
    664
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,283
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,257
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,657
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,099
  • 1990 to 1999
    999
  • 2000 to 2009
    591
  • 2010 to 2013
    240
  • 2014 or later
    3

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Dawson County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    519
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,048
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,960
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,272

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Dawson County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Dawson County that commute to work in a particular way.

18 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Dawson County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    1,152
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    3,907
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    2,004
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,260
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    897
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    289
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    543
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    204
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    234
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    522
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    502
  • 90 or more minutes
    271

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Dawson County, Nebraska in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Dawson County, Nebraska

We have data for 17 places in Dawson County, Nebraska. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.