Dawson County

General

Population:  24,111
Land area (sq. mi.):  1,013.60
Population per square mile:  23.8

Race & Age

Race  2020

White:  56.1%
African American:  4.9%
American Indian:  0.2%
Asian:  0.8%
Hispanic:  35.8%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.2%
Two or More Races:  1.7%

Age  2020

0-17:  27.3%
18-64:  55.5%
65+:  17.1%

Households

Total households:  8,868  2020
With one child:  1,530  2022
With 2+ children:  2,090  2022
With seniors (65+):  1,990  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $52,737  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  12.1%  2022
# of Housing Units:  9,792  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  151
Owner-occupied rate:  67.9%  2020
Median home price:  $169,430  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  85.8%  2021

Sources: National Association of Realtors, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Library Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau (building permits), U.S. Census Bureau (demographics), U.S. Census Bureau (municipalities)

Employment, Schools, and Child Care

Unemployment rate:  2.1%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://nebraskacounties.org/nebraska-counties/county-employment-opportunities.html

High school graduate or higher:  79.1%  2020

School Districts:  Chadron Public Schools, Crawford Public Schools, Hay Springs Public Schools, Hemingford Public Schools, Sioux County Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  16.7%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Central Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  43 providers; 944 children  2024

Find child care:  For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.

Dawson County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $2,028,263,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $224,783,744  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $510,813,000  2022

• Nonfarm small business receipts are reported by partnerships & sole proprietorships and do not include receipts reported by cooperative associations. Nonfarm wage income may include wages earned from Dawson County businesses by commuters or teleworkers residing outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $1,006,297,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $22,513,000  2022

• Farm & ranch receipt totals for commodity sales and operations are reported by producers operating principally in Dawson County and include those producers' receipts from production in other counties. The totals do not include receipts from sales and operations in Dawson County reported by producers operating principally in other counties.

Cattle Producers:  297

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $40/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  347

• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $255/acre  2024

Ethanol Plants (annual production capacity):  Chief Ethanol Fuels (52 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Cozad: Viterra (3,660,000)
• Farnam: Country Partners (3,075,703)
• Gothenburg: Country Partners (6,175,149), NSG (981,973)
• Lexington: Viterra (4,292,000)
• Overton: CHS (3,298,000)
• (1 bushel = 56 lbs. corn/sorghum, 60 lbs. soybeans/wheat; % max. moisture = 18% beans, 15.5% corn, 14% sorghum/soybeans, 13.5% wheat)

Railroad Miles:  137.99 main, 21.62 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Cozad, Farnam, Gothenburg, Lexington, Willow Island

Local Grain Market:  Click for today's grain prices in Dawson County

Farmers Markets:

• Cozad Farmers Market (June - Sept, Saturdays 8 - 10 a.m.)
• Cozad Farmers Market - GGC ( July - October, Wednesdays 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.)
• Gothenburg Farmers Market ( July - October, Thursdays 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.)
• Lexington Farmers Market (June 8 thru Oct. 12, Tuesdays, 3 - 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 - 11 a.m.)

Electricity Providers:  City of Gothenburg, City of Lexington, Cozad Board of Public Works, Custer PPD, Dawson PPD, Southern PPD

Well Locations (Irrigation/Livestock), Soils, Groundwater & Surface Water

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  3,875  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  3.82  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  86  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Platte River (south channel) near Overton

Streamflow data on the Platte River (mid-channel) near the Village of Elm Creek

Streamflow data on Buffalo Creek near Overton

Streamflow data on Spring Creek near Overton

Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Power Review Board, Nebraska Public Service Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury (IRS), Warehouse and Commodity Management Division (USDA)

2023 Levies and Valuation

County levy rate:  $0.3100 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $11,845,898

Total local government property taxes levied:  $62,180,295

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $3,820,698,077

Click here for all levy rates in Dawson County

County Levy and Taxation Laws

Levy limits

Since 1996, counties and other political subdivisions have been subject to the levy limits listed in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3442 and Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3443.

Statutes and regulations

Nebraska Revised Statutes (Chapter 77)

Nebraska Administrative Code (Title 350)

Local tax reductions, exemptions, and credits:

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-902(5)(a) (Deed "stamp tax" exemption): "The [stamp tax] shall not apply to: ... (5)(a) Deeds between spouses, between ex-spouses for the purpose of conveying any rights to property acquired or held during the marriage, or between parent and child, without actual consideration therefor."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-201(2) (Valuation of agricultural land and horticultural land): "Agricultural land and horticultural land as defined in section 77-1359 shall constitute a separate and distinct class of property for purposes of property taxation, shall be subject to taxation, unless expressly exempt from taxation, and shall be valued at seventy-five percent of its actual value, except that for school district taxes levied to pay the principal and interest on bonds that are approved by a vote of the people on or after January 1, 2022, such land shall be valued at fifty percent of its actual value."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-6703(1) (Tax credit for school district taxes paid): "(1) For taxable years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2020, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, there shall be allowed to each eligible taxpayer a refundable credit against the income tax imposed by the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967 or against the franchise tax imposed by sections 77-3801 to 77-3807. The credit shall be equal to the credit percentage for the taxable year, as set by the department under subsection (2) of this section, multiplied by the amount of school district taxes paid by the eligible taxpayer during such taxable year."

Sources: Nebraska Department of Revenue

State Senator: Teresa J. Ibach (District 44)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Agriculture (vice chairperson)
• Business and Labor (vice chairperson)
• Nebraska Retirement Systems (vice chairperson)
• Judiciary

Select Committees:

• Rules

Special Committees: 

• Building Maintenance
• Legislature's Planning

Map and statistics for Legislative District 44

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Dawson County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 10

Year Authorized: 1860

Year Organized: 1871

Etymology: Jacob Dawson (City of Lincoln's first postmaster)

     Dawson County is named after Jacob Dawson, the first postmaster of the village of Lancaster (a community located in eastern Nebraska which would later become Lincoln, the state capitol). Established by the Territorial Legislature in 1860, Dawson County was originally home to a few settlements, ranchers, and a trading post. The telegraph, stage coach, and railroad all passed through the county, cementing its place as a communication and  transportation throughfare in central Nebraska.

     Plum Creek, which runs through southwest Dawson County, briefly captured the nation’s attention when gold was reportedly discovered along its banks in 1873. Unfortunately, Plum Creek was not the next Sutter’s Mill, and there would be no “Seventy-three-ers” arriving en masse to Dawson County. Geological tests quickly determined the metal was not gold, breaking the hearts of recently arrived settlers and prospectors.

     Undeterred by the lack of immediate fortune, Plum Creek became an important urban hub and witnessed the construction of schools and churches during its early years. In 1886, the community of Plum Creek became incorporated, and 1889, residents re-named it Lexington in honor of a Civil War battle. Today, Lexington is one of three principal cities in Dawson County, including Gothenburg and Cozad.

Highlight an important program in your county in this space! Send an email to:

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  18

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  972  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  152

Number of County-Owned Dams:  15

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  66.77%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  13,112  2024

Number of Precincts:  20  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  17  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  59.97 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: South Central

Natural Resource District: Central Platte NRD

State Lands (acres): Bittern's Call WMA (78.93), Blue Heron WMA (60.80), Cozad Rest Area EB (7.9), Cozad Rest Area WB (5.6), Cozad WMA (198.41), Darr WMA (30.87), Darr Strip WMA (980.82), Dogwood WMA (407.32), East Gothenburg WMA (37.62), East Willow WMA (36.80), Gallagher Canyon SRA (23.86), Plum Creek WMA (2), West Cozad WMA (47.63), Willow Island WMA (75.38)

Sources: Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Secretary of State, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)