County outline
Where Dixon County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.5% of Dixon County’s measured area and water for 1.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,250.2 square kilometers or approximately 308,939 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 475.621 | 1,231.853 | 304,397.4 |
| Water | 7.096 | 18.379 | 4,541.4 |
| Total | 482.717 | 1,250.231 | 308,938.9 |
How Dixon County compares
By original Census land area, Dixon County ranks #78 of 93 in Nebraska and #2167 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.827 times the Nebraska county-equivalent median of 575.2 square miles. It accounts for 0.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Nebraska ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Dixon County
The Census Bureau estimates that 5,602 people lived in Dixon County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,844 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #49 of 93 in Nebraska. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 5,597, the population has grown by 5 (+0.1%), compared with +2.9% for Nebraska as a whole.
With 475.6 square miles of land, that is 12 people per square mile (4.5 per km²), placing Dixon County #2,582 nationally for density and #40 in Nebraska. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Nebraska median is 8. Put another way, there are about 54 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 5,581 | 5,555 | 5,557 | 5,557 | 5,581 | 5,602 |
| Change | — | −26 | +2 | 0 | +24 | +21 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Dixon County
10 incorporated places lie at least partly in Dixon County. Together they are home to 3,532 people (63%); the other 2,070 (37%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Wakefield city, with 1,166 residents in the county (the city extends into 1 other county). The county seat, Ponca city, has 933 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield cityAlso in 1 other county | 1,166 | −0.7% | 1.062 |
| Ponca cityCounty seat | 933 | +2.2% | 0.769 |
| Emerson villageAlso in 2 other counties | 380 | −1.3% | 0.473 |
| Allen village | 361 | +1.1% | 0.372 |
| Newcastle village | 279 | +3.3% | 0.338 |
| Concord village | 125 | 0% | 0.132 |
| Martinsburg village | 81 | 0% | 0.104 |
| Dixon village | 77 | 0% | 0.152 |
| Waterbury village | 72 | 0% | 0.138 |
| Maskell village | 58 | 0% | 0.157 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Dixon County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Dixon County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Dixon County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
687106872868732687336873968745687516875768770687846878568787
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Dixon County
Dixon County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents, including 2 in South Dakota. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Cedar County (740.2 mi²) and the smallest is Dakota County (264.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Dixon County forms a block of 3,190.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Dixon | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County | 740.2 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Union CountySouth Dakota | 462 | about the same | Compare |
| Wayne County | 442.9 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Clay CountySouth Dakota | 412 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Thurston County | 393.6 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Dakota County | 264.4 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Dixon County compared with U.S. states?
Dixon County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.2 times as much. Nebraska’s county land could hold about 162 areas the size of Dixon County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.8 miles (35.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Dixon County?
Dixon County has more land than 1,055 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Dixon County at #2,238 nationally by total area, 71 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Dixon County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2166 | Antrim County, Michigan | 475.7 | Compare |
| #2167 | Dixon County, Nebraska | 475.6 | This county |
| #2168 | Charlotte County, Virginia | 475.3 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 42.485198, -96.855771. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,231,852,123 m²; AWATER: 18,379,772 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Dixon County?
Dixon County, Nebraska has 475.6 square miles (1,231.9 km²) of land and 7.096 square miles of water, for a total area of 482.7 square miles. It ranks #2167 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Dixon County the largest county in Nebraska?
No. Dixon County ranks #78 of 93 in Nebraska by land area. The largest is Cherry County, with 5,960.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Dixon County?
Dixon County shares a land border with Cedar County, Dakota County, Union County, South Dakota, Wayne County, Clay County, South Dakota, and Thurston County.
What is the population of Dixon County?
The Census Bureau estimates Dixon County had 5,602 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,844 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 12 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Dixon County?
The county seat of Dixon County is Ponca.
What cities and towns are in Dixon County?
Dixon County has 10 incorporated places. The most populous five are Wakefield city, Ponca city, Emerson village, Allen village, and Newcastle village; 2,070 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Dixon County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Dixon County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Dixon County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Dixon County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Dixon County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Dixon County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 304,397 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 308,939 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.