Retiring to Dawson County, NE: pros and cons
For Americans thinking of retiring to Dawson County, Nebraska, from another state or instead of a move abroad.
Not a US citizen or resident? The US has no retirement visa, and Medicare and these tax figures assume US residency. What applies to you →
Pros and cons of retiring in Dawson County, Nebraska
Each figure against every US county holding the same figure: a pro is better than most, a con worse than most, and a figure within 5% of the middle gets no verdict. Every figure is sourced and dated.
Pros
- Lower state sales tax than most states: Nebraska's state sales-tax rate is 5.5%, lower than 63% of the other 30 states with a rate on file; local rates can add to it. Nebraska Department of Revenue, 2025 Individual Income Tax Booklet, use tax line · 2026-10-26
Cons
- Among the fifth of US counties with the highest tax on a retired couple: State and local tax on the example retired couple in Dawson County, Nebraska comes to USD $5,008 a year, higher than 84% of the other 3110. The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · 2025-12-31
- Fewer mild-weather months than most US counties: Dawson County, Nebraska has 4.0 months a year with a mean daily high of 64–84 °F (18–29 °C), fewer than 61% of the other 3143. CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · 2010-12-31
Dawson County has 24,452 residents, 4,334 of them aged 65 or older (17.7 %) (US Census Bureau, county population estimates by age, 1 July 2025). Largest places: Lexington, Cozad, Gothenburg (Census, 1 July 2024).
Last updated
Where Dawson County stands, on the six criteria
Dawson County's own figures, each against every US county that has the same figure. Cost of living is its area's: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no price level for a single county.
| Criterion | Dawson County |
|---|---|
| Cost of living BEA price level, all items (US = 100); lower is better |
86.3 Cheaper than 73% of the other 3,142 US counties
Every county in the area shares this figure. BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, all items, Nebraska nonmetropolitan portion · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-10-28
|
| Taxes on a retired couple state and local tax on the example retired couple, USD a year; lower is better |
USD $5,008 (90% margin USD $4,614–$5,402) Lower than 16% of the other 3,110 US counties
The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · figure for 2025
|
| Healthcare access share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better |
No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS A fact for this county, not a ranking: a county without such a hospital may sit near one next door.
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026 · figure for 2026 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Safety homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better |
no data Dawson County had fewer than 20 homicides in 2020–2024: CDC WONDER publishes no reliable rate below that. |
| Climate months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better |
4.0 months a year More than 7% of the other 3,143 US counties
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · figure for 2010 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Natural-hazard risk expected yearly loss to buildings from natural hazards, per USD $1,000 of buildings; lower is better |
USD $1.38 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 46% of the other 3,143 US counties
FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-10-28
|
Taxes on a retired couple in Dawson County, Nebraska
The published example couple's state and local tax in Dawson County for tax year 2025, in its three parts. Only the income tax is the same across Nebraska; the property tax uses Dawson County's own Census figures.
| State income tax Nebraska's 2025 rules — the same in every Nebraska county |
USD $434 |
|---|---|
| Local income tax none in this calculation: a county income tax is held only for Maryland and Indiana |
USD $0 |
| Property tax on a USD $350,000 home Dawson County's own median taxes paid ÷ median home value |
USD $4,574 |
| State and local tax, a year | USD $5,008 |
Sources: Nebraska Department of Revenue, 2025 Tax Calculation Schedule for Individual Income Tax (8-460-2025); US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25103, county.
How Nebraska taxes each kind of retirement income, line by line
What Medicare costs in Dawson County, Nebraska
For the published example couple, both 67 and married: what Medicare premiums cost a year for two in Dawson County, Nebraska, and the most a bad year can cost. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so it is not estimated here.
Medicare Advantage, with drug coverage
USD $4,870 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,870)
At most USD $20,820 in a bad year (from USD $19,070), with each person's in-network out-of-pocket maximum
The middle of the 2 plans offered here; "from" is the lowest premium among them.
Original Medicare, with a drug plan
USD $5,669 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,997)
Medigap: no federal price list — not in this total.
No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone.
Part B for two, plus the middle of the 9 standalone drug plans offered in the state.
The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published (CMS usually publishes it in November); 2026's is used.
Source: CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
The largest places in Dawson County
By population in the county; a place split across counties counts only the part in Dawson County. We do not cover these places in depth yet.
- Lexington: 11,205 residents
- Cozad: 3,945 residents
- Gothenburg: 3,447 residents
US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 sub-county population estimates (SUB-EST2024), 1 July 2024.
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