Dakota County, Minnesota

This article is about the county in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. For the community in southeast Minnesota named Dakota, see Dakota, Minnesota.

Dakota County
County
Dakota County Courthouse
Dakota County Courthouse
Map of Minnesota highlighting Dakota County
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Map of the United States highlighting Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°41′N 93°04′W / 44.68°N 93.06°W / 44.68; -93.06
Country United States
State Minnesota
FoundedOctober 27, 1849[1]
Named forDakota people
SeatHastings
Largest cityLakeville
Area
 • Total
587 sq mi (1,520 km2)
 • Land562 sq mi (1,460 km2)
 • Water25 sq mi (60 km2)  4.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
439,882
 • Estimate 
(2023)
447,440 Increase
 • Density750/sq mi (290/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.dakotacounty.us

Dakota County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The population of Dakota County was estimated to be 447,440 in 2023.[2] The county seat is Hastings.[3] Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area.[4] The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851.[5] Dakota County is included in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.71 million residents. The largest city in Dakota County is the city of Lakeville, the ninth-largest city in Minnesota and fifth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east.

  1. ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference origin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Charles Dosh (2003–2007). "Dakota County Genealogy". MN Gen Web.