Dawes County, Nebraska Demographics

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

Dawes County, NE 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
    Among the top 5 healthiest counties in Nebraska
  • D
    Income Well below average
    Among the 5 least wealthy counties in Nebraska
  • B
    Education Around average
    Among the top 5 best educated counties in Nebraska

Source: Map AI Methodology

Dawes County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Dawes County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Population 8,140 1,978,686 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 5.8 25.6 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -1.36% 0.63% 0.59%
Median age 35.6 38.3 37.3
Households 3,453 797,835 130,235,071

Population in Dawes County declined by 6.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,140 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Dawes County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Dawes County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 31.3% of residents. That is 8.6 points above Nebraska 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 Nebraska, 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 51.2% of the people living in Dawes County and men 48.8%.

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8,140

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Economy

Dawes County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.

Metric Dawes County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $55,690 $76,615 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.49% 4.27% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.6% 3.0% 5.2%

The median household income in Dawes County is about 27% lower than in Nebraska.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Dawes County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $118,124 $175,282 $248,835
Median rent $899 $1,071 $1,407
Homeownership rate 61.8% 66.5% 65.2%

The median home price in Dawes County is about 10.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $899 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Dawes County spend about 17 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 72 hours, about 3.0 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Dawes County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 8.6 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 17.3 34.0 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 72 142 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,228 $4,390 $5,790
Work from home 7.7% 11.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 532 5,179 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 133 691 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in Nebraska: Hooker County (7.4 min), Cherry County (8.0 min), Box Butte County (8.0 min).
Slowest: Cass County (28.0 min), Banner County (27.2 min), Saunders County (26.9 min).

The average commute time in Dawes County is 9 minutes, shorter than the 17 minutes in Nebraska.

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

Dawes County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.

Metric Dawes County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 31.8% 30.8% 31.6%
Average household size 2.12 2.42 2.53

Highest education index among counties in Nebraska: Sarpy County (0.3), Lancaster County (0.3), Douglas County (0.3).
Lowest: Dakota County (0.2), Colfax County (0.2), Dawson County (0.2).

Health

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

Metric Dawes County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 82.2 79.5 78.3
Self-rated poor health 10.7% 12.9% 16.3%
Smokers 14.5% 16.6% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in Nebraska: Wayne County (0.8), Sarpy County (0.8), Lancaster County (0.8).
Lowest: Thurston County (0.8), Pawnee County (0.8), Dundy County (0.8).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Dawes County, Nebraska.

What is the population of Dawes County, Nebraska?

About 8,140 people live in Dawes County, Nebraska, in 3,453 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 35.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.

Is Dawes County, Nebraska mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Dawes County, Nebraska has 6 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 7% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Dawes County, Nebraska?

The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($118,124 against $55,690), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $899 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is it hard to find a job in Dawes County, Nebraska?

Unemployment in Dawes County, Nebraska is only 1.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

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