DawsonIL
A town of 507, settled in 1854.
Is Dawson a good place to live?
Only 6 of the 769 Illinois towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Dawson. Dawson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
507 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Lincoln Tomb and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dawson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
10 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year10 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
11 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
22 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem
11 mi MuseumIllinois State MuseumPhoto credits
Lincoln Tomb: David Jones, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old State Capitol State Historic Site: Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lincoln's New Salem: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Illinois State Museum: Mike Linksvayer from Oakland, California, CC0
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Moving to Dawson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dawson, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dawson.
Dawson has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Dawson for work: only 0% work in town. Jobs based in Dawson fell to 52 in 2023, 29 fewer than in 2013. Dawson’s average trip to work is 22 minutes, below both the Illinois town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Dawson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dawson has four seasons and pleasant summers
Dawson has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes in Dawson are worth about $235K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Dawson home is worth about $235,000, up 9.4% in a year, 21% below the Illinois typical home. Dawson’s median rent is $850 a month, against $1,129 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
| Dawson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $850 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
How healthy Dawson is
Dawson beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of adults binge drink in Dawson.
| Dawson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Dawson | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Dawson
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Village Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Dawson
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Dawson
About 2 of every 100 Dawson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
100% of working residents leave Dawson for work
Where Dawson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Dawson
Village in Illinois, United States
Dawson is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 519 at the 2020 census. It is about 10 miles (16 km) east of Springfield and is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1883
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- ZIP code
- 62520
Questions about Dawson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dawson, IL a good place to live?
Dawson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.