Hawthorne is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mineral County, Nevada, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 3,269, a decrease since the 2000 census, when it was 3,311. It is the county seat of Mineral County. The nearby Hawthorne Army Depot is the primary economic base of the town.

Hawthorne is located at 38°31′31″N 118°37′23″W / 38.52528°N 118.62306°W / 38.52528; -118.62306 (38.525198, -118.623053).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land.

At the 2010 census, the population was 3,269.

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,311 people, 1,465 households, and 937 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,234.9 people per square mile (863.8/km²). There were 1,883 housing units at an average density of 1,271.0 per square mile (491.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.48% White, 0.016% African American, 2.81% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.05% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.0921366% of the population.

Nevada (ⁱ/nəˈvædə/ or /nəˈvɒdə/) is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. Nevada is the 7th most extensive, the 35th most populous, and the 9th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in one single county, Clark County, which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area, where the state's three largest incorporated cities are located. Nevada's capital is Carson City.

Nevada is largely desert and semiarid, with much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains lie on the western edge. Approximately 86% of the state's land is owned by the US government under various jurisdictions, both civilian and military.

The name Nevada is derived from the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains, which means "snow-capped mountain range" in Spanish. The land comprising the modern state was inhabited by Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes prior to European contact. It was subsequently claimed by Spain as a part of Alta California until the Mexican War of Independence brought it under Mexican control. The United States gained the territory in 1848 following its victory in the Mexican-American War and the area was eventually incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a population boom that was an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864.