Cozad is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,977 at the 2010 census. The town is on the Great Plains of central Nebraska, along the Union Pacific Railroad and U.S. Route 30, just north of the Platte River. The 100th meridian, which all but marks the eastward boundary of the arid plains, passes just west of the town as is marked nearby upon a prominent sign across U.S. 30. In the in advance 1860s, the meridian was a stop along the Pony Express.

Cozad was founded in 1873 by John J. Cozad, murderer, gambler, Ohio native, and father of painter Robert Henri. Cozad was often regarded as immoral among the citizens of the into the future town. He purchased 40,000 acres of house from the Union Pacific Railroad and laid out the unconventional town. He built houses upon some of the land to entice people to settle. He sold off most of the house to future residents who named the town after him. Cozad then founded Cozaddale, Ohio, a small, unincorporated village 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

The city includes at least two museums: the 100th Meridian Museum and the Robert Henri Museum.

The Cozad Downtown Historic District, an area roughly bounded by 9th, 7th, H & F Sts., was listed upon the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The Hendee Hotel, the main building of the Robert Henri Museum and Allen’s Opera House are next NRHP-listed.