Dawson County is a county in Texas, United States, on the South Plains in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 12,456 at the 2020 census and covers 902 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 900 square miles is land and 1.8 square miles is water, centred near 32°44′N 101°57′W.
Lamesa is the county seat; its postal code is 79331. The county has one incorporated city, one incorporated town, two census-designated places, and about a dozen unincorporated communities. Dawson County observes Central time.
Towns & Villages in Dawson County
Dawson County’s settlements are concentrated along US 87 and US 380 near Lamesa, with scattered farm and ranch communities across the rest of the county. Lamesa is the only full city; O’Donnell is an incorporated town that straddles the Dawson–Lynn county line; Los Ybanez and Welch are census-designated places. Everything else on the list below is an unincorporated community — a former school, church, cotton gin, or rail siding rather than a governed place.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamesa | City · seat | — | 79331 |
| O’Donnell | Town | — | — |
| Los Ybanez | CDP | — | — |
| Welch | CDP | — | 79377 |
| Ackerly | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Arvana | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fivemile | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Friendship | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grandview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hancock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hindman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Key | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Klondike | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mungerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Patricia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pride | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Punkin Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sand | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sparenberg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tenmile | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Union | Unincorp. | — | — |
O’Donnell is the county’s one confusable case: most of the town lies in Lynn County, with only its southern edge in Dawson County, so it is counted on both counties’ pages. No other name on this list duplicates a neighboring county’s settlement.
ZIP Codes
- 79331 — Lamesa (also serves Ackerly, Klondike, and the farm communities of the central and eastern county)
- 79377 — Welch (also serves Patricia, Sparenberg, and the ranch country of the northwest county)
O’Donnell, Los Ybanez, Grandview, Union, and the county’s other small communities do not have a confirmed dedicated ZIP on record; mail there is generally routed through Lamesa or a neighboring county’s post office.
Geography
Dawson County sits on the Llano Estacado, the flat tableland that covers the South Plains of West Texas. The terrain is level to gently rolling, given over almost entirely to dryland and irrigated farmland with scattered playa lakes that fill after heavy rain. There is no major river; drainage is mostly through shallow draws that feed the Colorado River system to the east.
The county borders Lynn County to the north, Borden County to the east, Howard County to the southeast, Martin County to the south, Gaines County to the west, and Terry County to the northwest.
Demographics
Dawson County had 12,456 residents at the 2020 census, working out to about 13.8 people per square mile. Lamesa is by far the largest community, holding roughly nine in ten county residents; O’Donnell is the second-largest incorporated place. The 2020 census recorded the county as 54.3% Hispanic or Latino, 36.85% non-Hispanic white, and 6.80% Black or African American, with a median age of 37.3. Dawson County’s median household income runs well below the Texas median of $75,780, consistent with a rural South Plains county whose economy still depends heavily on agriculture and oil field work.
Economy & Local Life
Cotton farming and cattle ranching anchor Dawson County’s agricultural economy, irrigated where the underlying Ogallala Aquifer allows it and dryland farmed elsewhere. Oil and gas production has been a second pillar of the county since 1943, when a discovery well drilled in the county found the Spraberry Trend — one of the largest oil fields in the United States by remaining reserves — touching off a drilling boom that peaked in the early 1950s and continues in a smaller form today. Lamesa serves as the county’s retail, medical, and school-district hub for the surrounding farm and ranch communities.
History
Dawson County was formed from the Bexar Territory in 1876 and organized as a county government in 1905. It is named for Nicholas Mosby Dawson, who died leading a company of Texas volunteers in the 1842 Dawson Massacre during the Texas Revolutionary era. Lamesa was platted as the county seat soon after organization, and the county’s population and settlement pattern stayed largely agricultural until the 1943 Spraberry oil discovery brought a wave of new residents and businesses through the early 1950s.
Getting There
US Highway 87 runs north–south through Lamesa, and US Highway 380 crosses the county east–west, meeting in the county seat; State Highway 137 and Farm Road routes connect the smaller communities.
- Lubbock — about 60 miles north
- Midland — about 65 miles south
- Big Spring — about 35 miles east
- Seminole — about 30 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dawson County, Texas?
It is on the South Plains of West Texas, about 60 miles south of Lubbock.
What is the population of Dawson County?
12,456 people, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Dawson County?
902 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 900 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Dawson County?
Lamesa is the county seat.
How many towns are in Dawson County?
One city, one town, two census-designated places, and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Dawson County?
79331 (Lamesa) and 79377 (Welch) are the county’s confirmed ZIP codes.
What is Dawson County’s economy based on?
Cotton and cattle agriculture together with oil and gas production from the Spraberry Trend, discovered in the county in 1943.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.