• county
  • FIPS 30021
  • Largest town: Glendive

Dawson County, Montana

Dawson County had 8,731 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,371.9 square miles of land. It ranks 26th of 56 in Montana by population and 28th by land area.

Population
8,731
#26 of 56 in Montana · #2,511 in US
Area
2,371.9 sq mi
#28 of 56 in Montana · #233 in US
Density
3.7 / sq mi
#24 of 56 in Montana · #2,854 in US
Median household income
$60,663
#27 of 56 in Montana · #1,773 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Dawson County within Montana. Pin: Helena.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dawson County

Dawson County population, land area and income

Dawson County had 8,731 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,371.9 square miles of land. It ranks 26th of 56 in Montana by population and 28th by land area. That works out to 3.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Montana has 7,814 residents; Dawson County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $60,663 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

8,731

3144th1st

2511th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,372 sq mi

3144th1st

233rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

3.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

2854th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$60,663

3143rd1st

1773rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Montana (56)

Population

8,731

56th1st

26th of 56 (MT)

Land area

2,372 sq mi

56th1st

28th of 56 (MT)

Density

3.7 / sq mi

56th1st

24th of 56 (MT)

Median household income

$60,663

56th1st

27th of 56 (MT)

How Dawson County's population changed since 2020

Dawson County lost 191 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.1%. That ranks 49th of 56 in Montana for growth. The median Montana county changed by +2.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dawson County recorded 326 births and 480 deaths, a natural change of -154. Net international migration added +9 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -64. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 154 people.

8,92220208,85920218,80120228,82020238,7312024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
326
Deaths
480
Net international migration
+9
Net domestic migration
-64
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-89

Where Dawson County is

The Census internal point of Dawson County is at 47.266100, -104.898300. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades Montana's 56 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Dawson County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Liberty County: -1.2%Golden Valley County: +5.1%Dawson County: -2.1%Flathead County: +9.2%Beaverhead County: +6.7%Prairie County: +2.0%Garfield County: +0.9%Lewis and Clark County: +5.5%Sweet Grass County: +2.4%Wheatland County: -0.7%Ravalli County: +8.5%Jefferson County: +9.6%Carter County: -0.6%Chouteau County: -0.6%Custer County: +0.9%Teton County: +3.1%Granite County: +9.0%Deer Lodge County: +4.1%Cascade County: +0.1%Powder River County: +2.4%Meagher County: +7.3%Daniels County: -1.7%Glacier County: -1.8%Wibaux County: -2.7%Fallon County: -2.7%McCone County: -0.7%Sheridan County: -2.5%Missoula County: +3.5%Toole County: +3.7%Sanders County: +11.5%Roosevelt County: -5.6%Rosebud County: -1.3%Treasure County: -2.5%Yellowstone County: +3.9%Blaine County: -1.4%Musselshell County: +14.8%Broadwater County: +21.0%Powell County: +2.6%Fergus County: +3.4%Phillips County: +0.1%Gallatin County: +6.2%Silver Bow County: +2.6%Madison County: +12.6%Richland County: -4.4%Lake County: +6.9%Valley County: -1.7%Judith Basin County: +4.3%Hill County: -1.2%Big Horn County: -2.2%Stillwater County: +5.0%Carbon County: +9.4%Mineral County: +13.7%Petroleum County: +4.6%Pondera County: +3.4%Park County: +4.9%Lincoln County: +12.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.4%
  2. < +0.9%
  3. < +3.9%
  4. < +7.3%
  5. ≥ +7.3%
no data

Orange pin: Dawson County internal point. Dark pin: Helena.

Internal point

Decimal
47.266100, -104.898300
DMS
47°15'57.96"N 104°53'53.88"W
UTM
13N 507693.3E 5234740.5N
Geohash
c8mkuux2u
Plus code
85VQ7482+CM

Towns in Dawson County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Dawson County, 4,760 people together, or 55% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Dawson County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Glendive with 4,760.

  1. 01Glendive4,760
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dawson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Dawson County. The most populous is Richland County, MT, with 11,028 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Helena and the nearest big city

Helena is 339.1 miles W of Dawson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Billings, MT (population 121,483), 201.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Williston, ND (population 28,821), 86.2 miles away.

Dawson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dawson County is 30021: state code 30 for Montana plus county code 021. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $60,663.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dawson County, Montana?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 8,731. That is down 191 people (2.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 8,922.

What is the FIPS code of Dawson County?

30021. The first two digits (30) are Montana; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dawson County?

Glendive, with 4,760 residents inside Dawson County in 2024.

Which counties border Dawson County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Richland County, MT; McCone County, MT; Prairie County, MT; Wibaux County, MT.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.