• county
  • FIPS 27037
  • Largest town: Lakeville

Dakota County, Minnesota

Dakota County had 453,156 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 562.6 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 87 in Minnesota by population and 58th by land area.

Population
453,156
#3 of 87 in Minnesota · #164 in US
Area
562.6 sq mi
#58 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,838 in US
Density
806 / sq mi
#4 of 87 in Minnesota · #193 in US
Median household income
$100,012
#6 of 87 in Minnesota · #134 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Dakota County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dakota County

Dakota County population, land area and income

Dakota County had 453,156 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 562.6 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 87 in Minnesota by population and 58th by land area. That works out to 805.5 people per square mile, 8.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Dakota County is 20.6 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $100,012 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

453,156

3144th1st

164th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

563 sq mi

3144th1st

1838th of 3,144 (US)

Density

805.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

193rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$100,012

3143rd1st

134th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

453,156

87th1st

3rd of 87 (MN)

Land area

563 sq mi

87th1st

58th of 87 (MN)

Density

805.5 / sq mi

87th1st

4th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$100,012

87th1st

6th of 87 (MN)

How Dakota County's population changed since 2020

Dakota County gained 12,720 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.9%. That ranks 17th of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dakota County recorded 20,951 births and 13,732 deaths, a natural change of +7,219. Net international migration added +5,704 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +62. The largest single component was natural change, which added 7,219 people.

440.4k2020442.8k2021444.0k2022448.5k2023453.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
20,951
Deaths
13,732
Net international migration
+5,704
Net domestic migration
+62
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+4,661

Where Dakota County is

The Census internal point of Dakota County is at 44.670900, -93.062500. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Dakota County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Dakota County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
44.670900, -93.062500
DMS
44°40'15.24"N 93°03'45.00"W
UTM
15N 495045.9E 4946394.5N
Geohash
9zvy4k1fy
Plus code
86P8MWCQ+92

Towns in Dakota County

13 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Dakota County, 437,487 people together, or 97% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Dakota County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lakeville with 77,971.

  1. 01Lakeville77,971
  2. 02Eagan67,240
  3. 03Burnsville64,864
  4. 04Apple Valley55,272
  5. 05Inver Grove Heights36,226
  6. 06Rosemount30,581
  7. 07Farmington24,464
  8. 08Hastings (part)22,501
  9. 09West St. Paul21,920
  10. 10South St. Paul20,590
  11. 11Mendota Heights11,542
  12. 12Empire3,068
  13. 13Northfield (part)1,248
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dakota County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Dakota County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Hennepin County, MN, with 1,273,334 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 19.7 miles N of Dakota County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is St. Paul, MN (population 307,465), 19.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Rosemount, MN (population 30,581), 5.2 miles away.

Dakota County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dakota County is 27037: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 037. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $100,012.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dakota County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 453,156. That is up 12,720 people (2.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 440,436.

What is the FIPS code of Dakota County?

27037. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (037) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dakota County?

Lakeville, with 77,971 residents inside Dakota County in 2024.

Which counties border Dakota County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Hennepin County, MN; Ramsey County, MN; Washington County, MN; Scott County, MN; Rice County, MN; Goodhue County, MN; Pierce County, WI.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.