Dawson County, Montana Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Dawson County is located in Montana with a total population of 8,874. It is the 26th most populous county out of 56 in Montana. The county encompasses 5 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Dawson County is 43.5 years. This is 8% higher than the state median of 40.2 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Dawson County is $70,953. This is 1% higher than the state median of $69,922. It is also 10% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 8.8%. This is 27% lower than the state poverty rate of 12.0%. The unemployment rate is 3.5%. This is 8% lower than the state rate of 3.8%. The median home value is $187,400. Housing costs are 45% lower than the state median of $338,100. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.6x, Dawson County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 72.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 4% higher than the state average of 69.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

Dawson County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 90.9% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 3.4%. The Black or African American population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 0.5%. The Asian population (0.0%) is well below the state average of 0.8%.

Education

25.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 26% lower than the state rate of 34.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 94.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Dawson County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Montana and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.