• county
  • FIPS 31043
  • Largest town: South Sioux City

Dakota County, Nebraska

Dakota County had 21,335 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 264.3 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 92nd by land area.

Population
21,335
#16 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,756 in US
Area
264.3 sq mi
#92 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,877 in US
Density
81 / sq mi
#5 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,068 in US
Median household income
$70,126
#24 of 93 in Nebraska · #994 in US

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

Dakota County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dakota County

Dakota County population, land area and income

Dakota County had 21,335 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 264.3 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 92nd by land area. That works out to 80.7 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents, so Dakota County is 3.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $70,126 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

21,335

3144th1st

1756th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

264 sq mi

3144th1st

2877th of 3,144 (US)

Density

80.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1068th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$70,126

3143rd1st

994th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

21,335

93rd1st

16th of 93 (NE)

Land area

264 sq mi

93rd1st

92nd of 93 (NE)

Density

80.7 / sq mi

93rd1st

5th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$70,126

93rd1st

24th of 93 (NE)

How Dakota County's population changed since 2020

Dakota County lost 221 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.0%. That ranks 54th of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dakota County recorded 1,569 births and 844 deaths, a natural change of +725. Net international migration added +496 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -1,472. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 1,472 people.

21.6k202021.3k202121.3k202221.3k202321.3k2024
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
1,569
Deaths
844
Net international migration
+496
Net domestic migration
-1,472
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-5

Where Dakota County is

The Census internal point of Dakota County is at 42.391600, -96.561300. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 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.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Dakota County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
42.391600, -96.561300
DMS
42°23'29.76"N 96°33'40.68"W
UTM
14N 700729.9E 4696137.6N
Geohash
9ze34tnhy
Plus code
86J59CRQ+JF

Towns in Dakota County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Dakota County, 15,957 people together, or 75% 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 South Sioux City with 13,910.

  1. 01South Sioux City13,910
  2. 02Dakota City2,047
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dakota County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Dakota County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Woodbury County, IA, with 107,257 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 109.7 miles S of Dakota County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 79.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is South Sioux City, NE (population 13,910), 9.0 miles away.

Dakota County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dakota County is 31043: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 043. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $70,126.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dakota County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 21,335. That is down 221 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 21,556.

What is the FIPS code of Dakota County?

31043. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (043) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dakota County?

South Sioux City, with 13,910 residents inside Dakota County in 2024.

Which counties border Dakota County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Woodbury County, IA; Union County, SD; Thurston County, NE; Dixon County, NE.

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.