• county
  • FIPS 31045
  • Largest town: Chadron

Dawes County, Nebraska

Dawes County had 8,003 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,396.4 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 9th by land area.

Population
8,003
#36 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,573 in US
Area
1,396.4 sq mi
#9 of 93 in Nebraska · #432 in US
Density
5.7 / sq mi
#58 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,738 in US
Median household income
$54,925
#87 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,329 in US

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

Dawes County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dawes County

Dawes County population, land area and income

Dawes County had 8,003 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,396.4 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 9th by land area. That works out to 5.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents; Dawes County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $54,925 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

8,003

3144th1st

2573rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,396 sq mi

3144th1st

432nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

5.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

2738th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$54,925

3143rd1st

2329th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

8,003

93rd1st

36th of 93 (NE)

Land area

1,396 sq mi

93rd1st

9th of 93 (NE)

Density

5.7 / sq mi

93rd1st

58th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$54,925

93rd1st

87th of 93 (NE)

How Dawes County's population changed since 2020

Dawes County lost 152 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.9%. That ranks 65th of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dawes County recorded 352 births and 436 deaths, a natural change of -84. Net international migration added -6 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -108. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 108 people.

8,15520208,14720218,25020228,14520238,0032024
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
352
Deaths
436
Net international migration
-6
Net domestic migration
-108
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-142

Where Dawes County is

The Census internal point of Dawes County is at 42.713000, -103.135400. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Dawes County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Dawes County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
42.713000, -103.135400
DMS
42°42'46.80"N 103°08'7.44"W
UTM
13N 652688.1E 4730630.3N
Geohash
9xwdvpej6
Plus code
85JRPV77+6R

Towns in Dawes County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Dawes County, 5,094 people together, or 64% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Dawes County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Chadron with 5,094.

  1. 01Chadron5,094
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dawes County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Dawes County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Oglala Lakota County, SD, with 13,360 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 356.7 miles ESE of Dawes County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fort Collins, CO (population 170,924), 179.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Scottsbluff, NE (population 14,323), 64.3 miles away.

Dawes County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dawes County is 31045: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 045. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $54,925.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dawes County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 8,003. That is down 152 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 8,155.

What is the FIPS code of Dawes County?

31045. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (045) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dawes County?

Chadron, with 5,094 residents inside Dawes County in 2024.

Which counties border Dawes County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Oglala Lakota County, SD; Box Butte County, NE; Fall River County, SD; Sheridan County, NE; Sioux County, NE.

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.