Dakota County, Minnesota
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. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area.
Dakota County | |
|---|---|
Dakota County Courthouse | |
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota | |
Minnesota's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 44°41′N 93°04′W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| Founded | October 27, 1849 |
| Named for | Dakota people |
| Seat | Hastings |
| Largest city | Lakeville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 587 sq mi (1,520 km2) |
| • Land | 562 sq mi (1,460 km2) |
| • Water | 25 sq mi (60 km2) 4.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 439,882 |
| • Estimate (2023) | 447,440 |
| • Density | 786/sq mi (303/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. 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.