Dawes County, Nebraska
| Dawes County | |
|---|---|
| Dawes County Courthouse in Chadron | |
| Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska | |
| Nebraska's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 42°43′N 103°08′W / 42.71°N 103.14°W | |
| Country | United States | 
| State | Nebraska | 
| Founded | February 19, 1885 | 
| Named after | James W. Dawes | 
| Seat | Chadron | 
| Largest city | Chadron | 
| Area | |
|  • Total | 1,401 sq mi (3,630 km2) | 
| • Land | 1,396 sq mi (3,620 km2) | 
| • Water | 4.6 sq mi (12 km2) 0.3% | 
| Population  (2020) | |
|  • Total | 8,199 | 
|  • Estimate  (2022) | 8,241 | 
| • Density | 5.9/sq mi (2.3/km2) | 
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) | 
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) | 
| Congressional district | 3rd | 
| Website | www | 
Dawes County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 8,199. Its county seat 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).