Dawson County Demographics

A map of Dawson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	7,983	7,969	90.4%	89.1%
Hispanic	319	288	3.6%	3.2%
Multiracial	300	391	3.4%	4.4%
Native American/Other	187	197	2.1%	2.2%
Asian	22	57	0.2%	0.6%
Black	16	38	0.2%	0.4%

Dawson County, Montana has an estimated population of 8,827, a slight decrease from the 8,940 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.4% White, 3.6% Hispanic, 3.4% Multiracial, 2.1% Native American/Other, 0.2% Black, and 0.2% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Dawson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Dawson has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Montana overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Dawson County, that probability was 20.2% in 2020 and 17.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Dawson County is ranked the 26th most populous county in Montana, out of 56 counties. Dawson County was ranked the 25th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Dawson County's White Population

7,983 residents of Dawson County, or 90.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Dawson County is higher than in Montana overall, where 83.6% of the population is White. Dawson County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 56 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dawson County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Dawson County's population has increased from 89.1% to 90.4%.

Dawson County is more White than neighboring Richland County (87.5% White), Prairie County (88.1% White), Wibaux County (89.2% White), and Roosevelt County (32.4% White). Dawson County is less White than neighboring McCone County (92.1% White).

Dawson County's Black Population

16 residents of Dawson County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Dawson County is comparable to the share in Montana overall, where 0.4% of the population is Black. Dawson County ranks 10th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 56 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dawson County's Black population has declined by an estimated 57.9%. Black residents' share of Dawson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Dawson County is more Black than neighboring Prairie County (0% Black), McCone County (0% Black), and Roosevelt County (0.1% Black). Dawson County is less Black than neighboring Richland County (0.3% Black), and Wibaux County (0.6% Black).

Dawson County's Asian Population

22 residents of Dawson County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Dawson County is comparable to the share in Montana overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Dawson County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 56 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dawson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 61.4%. Asian residents' share of Dawson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Dawson County is more Asian than neighboring Wibaux County (0.1% Asian). Dawson County is less Asian than neighboring Richland County (0.4% Asian), Prairie County (2.7% Asian), McCone County (1% Asian), and Roosevelt County (1% Asian).

Dawson County's Hispanic Population

319 residents of Dawson County, or 3.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Dawson County is comparable to the share in Montana overall, where 4.6% of the population is Hispanic. Dawson County ranks 17th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 56 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dawson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Dawson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.6%.

Dawson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Prairie County (0.6% Hispanic), McCone County (0.2% Hispanic), and Roosevelt County (2.9% Hispanic). Dawson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Richland County (5.5% Hispanic), and Wibaux County (7.7% Hispanic).

Dawson County's Native American/Other Population

187 residents of Dawson County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Dawson County is slightly lower than in Montana overall, where 5.9% of the population is Native American/Other. Dawson County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 56 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dawson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 5.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Dawson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Dawson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Richland County (1.1% Native American/Other), and Wibaux County (2% Native American/Other). Dawson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Prairie County (4.4% Native American/Other), McCone County (2.5% Native American/Other), and Roosevelt County (55.7% Native American/Other).

Dawson County's Multiracial Population

300 residents of Dawson County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Dawson County is comparable to the share in Montana overall, where 4.7% of the population is Multiracial. Dawson County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 56 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dawson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 23.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Dawson County's population has decreased from 4.4% to 3.4%.

Dawson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Wibaux County (0.4% Multiracial). Dawson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Richland County (5.3% Multiracial), Prairie County (4.2% Multiracial), McCone County (4.1% Multiracial), and Roosevelt County (8% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.