Dawson County was established by the territorial legislature in 1860; it officially became a county in 1871 by proclamation of acting Governor William James. The county website states that the county was named for Jacob Dawson, the first postmaster in the settlement of Lancaster County, Nebraska. Other sources offer another possibility: that it was named after Pennsylvania Congressman John Littleton Dawson;
Geography
Dawson County lies near the center of Nebraska, in the portion of the state that observes Central Time. According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 24,365 people, 8,824 households, and 6,273 families in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile. There were 9,805 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 82.32% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 14.49% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 25.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.0% were of German, 6.7% American, 6.7% Irish and 6.4% English ancestry. There were 8,824 households out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couplesliving together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.21. The county population contained 29.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median agewas 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,132, and the median income for a family was $42,224. Males had a median income of $26,865 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,973. About 8.60% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.
