Somali Population in Dawson County, NE by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Somali population in Dawson County, NE totals 231 residents, all residing in Lexington - the only city in the county with any recorded presence. The remaining cities in this analysis*, Cozad and Gothenburg, report zero residents of Somali ancestry. This pattern suggests a hyper-localized demographic cluster within Lexington. Below, we explore how Dawson County compares with other counties across Nebraska.

Top 5 cities with the largest Somali population in Dawson County

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  • 1
    Lexington
    Somali population in Lexington is 231
    2.16% of Lexington population is Somali
  • 2
    Cozad
    Somali population in Cozad is 0
    - of Cozad population is Somali
  • 3
    Gothenburg
    Somali population in Gothenburg is 0
    - of Gothenburg population is Somali
  • 4
    Overton
    Somali population in Overton is 0
    - of Overton population is Somali

Overview of Somali population in Dawson County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Dawson County with 231 Somali residents (0.96% of 24,020 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 96th percentile within Nebraska for Somali population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Dawson County's Somali population of 0.96% surpassing both Nebraska's state average of 0.15% and the national average of 0.049%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Dawson County with 231 Somali residents, representing 7.8% of Nebraska's total Somali population of 2,959.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Dawson County with 0.23 Somali Americans per square mile, more than five times Nebraska's average density of 0.039 per square mile, placing the county among the most densely concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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Dawson County Cities Ranked by Somali Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] indicate 231 Somali population in Lexington and zero in Cozad and Gothenburg. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for the three incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Dawson County, NE ranked by Somali population count
Rank by Somali Population
City
Somali Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Dawson County Somali Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Lexington 231 2.16% 100.00%
2 Cozad 0 - -
2 Gothenburg 0 - -
2 Overton 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Dawson County, NE by their Somali population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Somali population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Somali ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Somali alone, while others identify as Somali along with another race (such as Somali and German).
  • We’ve used the “Somali alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Somali population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Somali alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Somali .
  2. % of Total Dawson County Somali Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Somali population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Somali populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Somali population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Somali populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.