Dixon County

General

Population:  5,606
Land area (sq. mi.):  476.11
Population per square mile:  4.2

Race

Race  2020

White:  82.8%
African American:  0.3%
American Indian:  0.3%
Asian:  0.3%
Hispanic:  14.2%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  1.9%

Age  2020

0-17:  25.2%
18-64:  53.4%
65+:  21.4%

Households

Total households:  2,206  2020
With one child:  280  2022
With 2+ children:  420  2022
With seniors (65+):  670  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $55,069  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  9.6%  2022
# of Housing Units:  2,520  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  10
Owner-occupied rate:  77.5%  2020
Median home price:  $130,790  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  84.5%  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:  1.9%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://dixoncountyne.gov/webpages/links/public_notices.html

High school graduate or higher:  89.9%  2020

School Districts:  Allen Consolidated Schools, Hartington Newcastle Public Schools, Emerson-Hubbard Public Schools, Laural-Concord-Coleridge School, Ponca Public Schools, Wakefield Public Schools, Wayne Community Schools, Wynot Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  20.7%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Northeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  4 providers; 102 children  2023

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

Dixon County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $421,799,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $46,847,545  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $109,716,000  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 Dixon County businesses by commuters or teleworkers residing outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $340,922,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $14,778,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  215

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $63/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  83

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $235/acre  2024

Dairy Producers:  1

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Dixon: Dixon Elevator (1,406,917)
• Randolph: Dixon Elevator (1,727,000), Dixon Elevator (588,624)
• Wakefield: CVA (1,780,000)
• (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:  18.16 main, 1.01 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Allen, Dixon, Waterbury

Farmers Markets:

• Dixon County Farmers Market (May to October, Every 2nd and 4th Friday (4-7 PM) & Saturday (9:00 PM - 1:00 PM)
• The Wakefield Market (Monthly from May through Nov., days and times subject to change)

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

Electricity Providers:  Cedar-Knox PPD, City of Emerson, City of Wakefield, Northeast Power

Wind Turbines Operating (MW):  101 turbines (318,150 MW total)

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  332  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  0.75  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  63  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Missouri River near Maskell

Streamflow data on Logan Creek at Wakefield

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)

2022 Levies and Valuation

County levy rate:  $0.2647 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $4,575,467

Total local government property taxes levied:  $22,042,971

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $1,728,323,598

Click here for all levy rates in Dixon 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-Elect: Glen Meyer

State Senator: Joni Albrecht (District 17)
Committees: Agriculture, Business and Labor, Government, Military and Veterans Affairs

Map and statistics for Legislative District 17

State Senator: Barry DeKay (District 40)
Committees: Agriculture, Business and Labor, Government, Military and Veterans Affairs

Map and statistics for Legislative District 40

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Dixon County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 6

Year Authorized: 1856

Year Organized: 1858

Etymology: Dixon family (early Nebraska settlers)

     Long before Lewis and Clark ventured into what would become Dixon County, the Omaha and Ponca Native American tribes inhabited the area, most prominently near the county seat which today bears the latter’s name. According to local accounts, the first European settlers in the area ignored signs declaring the area “Indian Territory” and began staking claims and erecting buildings. In fact, local tradition holds that the first settlers called the first settlement “Ponca” in defiance of the Native Americans who claimed the land as their tribal grounds. Following pressure and intimidation, the Omaha and Ponca tribes ceded their land by treaty to the U.S. Government in 1854. 

     Settlers soon flooded the area, culminating in the county’s founding in 1856. Trading posts and small towns quickly emerged as pioneers cultivated the fertile soil near the rivers and streams, which also attracted trappers and brought traders from the east. As with nearly every other Nebraska county, weather strongly influenced the expansion and development of Dixon County. There were several grasshopper invasions in the 1870’s, which decimated crops and spurred some settlers to move west in search of gold. Droughts and wildfires in subsequent years also affected settlement and population shifts.

     Nonetheless, Dixon County persevered and grew by several thousand residents in its earliest decades and now includes a total of 10 cities and towns. The name Dixon was taken from an early family of settlers, and Ponca, the county seat, reflects its first indigenous inhabitants. Ponca is also thought to be one of the oldest settlements in Nebraska, and its downtown district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In contrast to its early days, several parts of the county are now heavily forested, particularly along the banks of the Missouri river. The county is also part of the Missouri National Recreational River which composes nearly 34,000 acres between Nebraska and South Dakota.

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Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  35

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  369  2023

Zoned County:  No

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  114

Number of County-Owned Dams:  2

Election Data

Voter Turnout:  81.56%  2024

Number of Registered Voters:  3,622  2024

Number of Precincts:  10  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  All Voting by Mail

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Upper Loup NRD

State Lands (acres): Buckskin Hills WMA (340), Elk Point Bend WMA (626.84), Haskell Ag Lab (480), Mulberry Bend WMA (6), Ponca State Park (2,123.63), Powder Creek WMA (467)

Federal Lands (acres): Mulberry Bend Overlook (31)

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)