Dawes County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 8,199. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Chadron. The county was formed in 1885; it was named for James W. Dawes, the Nebraska Governor at the time. In the Nebraska license-plate system, Dawes County is represented by the prefix 69 (it had the 69th-largest number of vehicles registered when the license-plate system was established in 1922).

History

Dawes County was a part of the unorganized area of northwestern Nebraska until February 19, 1877, when it became a part of Sioux County from which it was separated February 19, 1885, and was given its present name.

Geography

Dawes County lies on the north border of Nebraska. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

. According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. Since it lies in the western part of Nebraska, Dawes County residents observe Mountain Time. The eastern two-thirds of the state observes Central Time.

Major highways

* * * *

Nebraska Highway 2 * N-71

Nebraska Highway 71

Transit

* Chadron City Transit

Adjacent counties

* Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota - northeast * Sheridan County - east * Box Butte County - south * Sioux County - west *

Fall River County, South Dakota Fall River County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,973. Its county seat is Hot Springs. The county was founded in 1883. It is named for the Fall River which runs through it. Geography ...

- northwest

National protected areas

Nebraska National Forest The Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located within the U.S. state of Nebraska. The total area of the national forest is . The forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service's Nebraska Forests and Grasslands Supervisor ...

(part) * Pine Ridge National Recreation Area * Oglala National Grassland (part)

State protected areas

* Box Butte Reservoir State Recreation Area * Chadron State Park * Fort Robinson State Park (part) * Chadron Creek Ranch State Wildlife Management Area * Bordeaux State Wildlife Management Area * Bighorn State Wildlife Management Area * Ponderosa State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 9,060 people, 3,512 households, and 2,086 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 4,004 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.34%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.81%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.88% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.03% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. 2.43% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 38.0% were of German, 9.9% English, 9.2% Irish and 7.4% American ancestry. There were 3,512 households, out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.60% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.87. The county population contained 21.20% under the age of 18, 23.40% from 18 to 24, 20.40% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,476, and the median income for a family was $41,092. Males had a median income of $29,162 versus $17,404 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,353. About 9.80% of families and 18.90% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Chadron (county seat) * Crawford

Village

* Whitney

Unincorporated communities

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

* Horn * Marsland * Pine Ridge

Ghost town

* Belmont

Politics

Dawes County voters have been reliably Republican for decades; in no national election since

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

References

{{authority control Nebraska counties 1885 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1885