The Town Files

Dawes County, Nebraska

8,140 people. The median home is worth $150,900 (typical Nebraska town: $154,800) and the median household earns $56,280.

Towns in Dawes County

Towns in Dawes County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Chadron5,206$153,800$54,59030.5

People and housing

Dawes CountyTypical Nebraska town
Median home value$150,900$154,800
Median rent$900$818
Median household income$56,280$66,320
Median age35.839.5
Bachelor's degree or higher36.2%22.4%
Below the poverty line13.1%9.9%

Jobs and pay

3,156 jobs in 2024, average pay $41,535 a year.

Largest industries in Dawes CountyRetail640 jobs · $34,937Health care & social assistan…427 jobs · $50,495Finance & insurance96 jobs · $55,982Construction88 jobs · $44,359Wholesale trade82 jobs · $36,038Professional & technical serv…52 jobs · $49,595
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Dawes County0%2%4%6%2000200420082012201620202023 2%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 583 storm events in Dawes County from 1996 to 2026.

Storm events in Dawes County by type since 1996Hail236Tornado13Blizzard20High Wind72Heavy Rain7Heavy Snow30Flash Flood5Funnel Cloud5Winter Storm43Winter Weather23
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Dawes County has been included in 12 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
June 10, 2026FireFM-5637: South Fork Fire
May 24, 2024Severe StormDR-4786: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds
April 4, 2020BiologicalDR-4521: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3483: Covid-19
March 21, 2019FloodDR-4420: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
June 25, 2015Severe StormDR-4225: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).