Dawson County, Montana Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Dawson County, MT Population Density Map and Area Scores

Area Score

Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.

  • B
    Health Around average
  • B
    Income Around average
    Wealthier than 78% of counties in Montana
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Dawson County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Dawson County Montana Avg U.S. Average
Population 8,827 1,116,812 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 3.7 7.6 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.82% 1.09% 0.59%
Median age 42.3 40.7 37.3
Households 3,615 458,835 130,235,071

Population in Dawson County grew by 3.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,827 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Dawson County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Dawson County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.8% of residents. That is 1.4 points above Montana as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Montana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.

Male and female share

Women are 48.0% of the people living in Dawson County and men 52.0%.

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8,827

100% of everyone living in Dawson County

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Economy

Dawson County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.

Metric Dawson County Montana Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $68,912 $72,476 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.07% 5.17% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 2.7% 3.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Dawson County is about 5% lower than in Montana.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Dawson County Montana Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $161,632 $249,140 $248,835
Median rent $815 $1,081 $1,407
Homeownership rate 71.9% 69.2% 65.2%

The median home price in Dawson County is about 16.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $815 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Dawson County spend about 24 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 98 hours, about 4.1 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Dawson County Montana Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 11.8 16.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 23.5 32.1 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 98 134 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,037 $4,143 $5,790
Work from home 6.1% 12.5% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,212 2,162 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 149 403 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in Montana: Treasure County (7.2 min), Rosebud County (8.2 min), Fallon County (8.4 min).
Slowest: Broadwater County (30.3 min), Stillwater County (27.8 min), Granite County (23.3 min).

The average commute time in Dawson County is 12 minutes, shorter than the 16 minutes in Montana.

Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Dawson County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Dawson County Montana Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 22.5% 31.3% 31.6%
Average household size 2.33 2.37 2.53

Highest education index among counties in Montana: Gallatin County (0.4), Missoula County (0.3), Lewis and Clark County (0.3).
Lowest: Liberty County (0.2), Toole County (0.2), Wheatland County (0.2).

Health

Dawson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Dawson County Montana Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 80.4 79.0 78.3
Self-rated poor health 12.9% 14.7% 16.3%
Smokers 17.3% 18.8% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in Montana: Gallatin County (0.8), Missoula County (0.8), Granite County (0.8).
Lowest: Glacier County (0.7), Big Horn County (0.8), Roosevelt County (0.8).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Dawson County, Montana.

How big is Dawson County, Montana by population?

About 8,827 people live in Dawson County, Montana, in 3,615 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.

Is Dawson County, Montana mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Dawson County, Montana has 4 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Dawson County, Montana?

The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($161,632 against $68,912), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $815 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Dawson County, Montana?

Unemployment in Dawson County, Montana is only 2.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

How common is a college degree in Dawson County, Montana?

22.5% of adults in Dawson County, Montana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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