Dawson County, Nebraska

Dawson County, Nebraska
The Dawson County Courthouse in Lexington
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Coordinates: 40°52′04″N 99°48′56″W / 40.867840°N 99.815583°W / 40.867840; -99.815583
Country United States
State Nebraska
FoundedJanuary 11, 1860 (created)
July 11, 1871 (organized)
Named afterJacob Dawson
SeatLexington
Largest cityLexington
Area
 • Total
1,019.433 sq mi (2,640.32 km2)
 • Land1,013.786 sq mi (2,625.69 km2)
 • Water5.647 sq mi (14.63 km2)  0.55%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
24,111
 • Estimate 
(2024)
24,554
 • Density23.783/sq mi (9.1827/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code308
Congressional district3rd
Websitedawsoncountyne.gov
• Nebraska county number 24
• Nebraska license plate prefix 18

Dawson County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,111, and was estimated to be 24,554 in 2024. The county seat and the largest city is Lexington.

Dawson County is part of the Lexington, NE micropolitan area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Dawson County was represented by the prefix "18" (as it had the 18th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).