Dawson County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Dawson County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Texas
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 91% of counties in Texas
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 91% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,134 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 13.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.15% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,043 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Dawson County declined by 12.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12,134 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Dawson County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.4% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,963 24.4% +1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,705 22.3% -0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,185 18.0% -1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,685 13.9% +0.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, 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 42.7% of the people living in Dawson County and men 57.3%.
- Women 42.7% Texas 50.1%
- Men 57.3% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Dawson County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Dawson County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,124 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.82% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Dawson County is about 29% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $166,223 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $777 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.6% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Dawson County is about 17.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $777 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Dawson County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 112 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.4 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 26.8 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 112 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,462 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.2% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,617 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 214 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Dawson County is 13 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
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.
Education & Households
Dawson County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.1% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.54 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Dawson County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.2% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.8% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Dawson County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
How Dawson County, TX compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, TX | 12,134 | $56,124 #2/2 | $166,223 #2/2 | 13.4 min #1/2 |
| Howard County, TX | 32,290 | $69,578 | $223,750 | 13.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Dawson County, Texas.
What is the population of Dawson County, Texas?
About 12,134 people live in Dawson County, Texas, in 4,043 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 33.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Dawson County, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Dawson County, Texas has 13 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 16% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Dawson County, Texas?
The median home costs 3.0 times the median household income ($166,223 against $56,124), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $777 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Dawson County, Texas?
12.1% of adults in Dawson County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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