How many people live in Dakota County, MN?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 453,200 people living in Dakota County, MN. That makes Dakota County the third-most populous county in Minnesota. It is home to 7.8% of people living in the state.
453K
population of Dakota County, MN (2024)
7.8%
County share of the Minnesota population (2024)
About 453,200 people lived in Dakota County, MN in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Dakota County, MN’s age demographics?
About 76,800 Dakota County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 16.9% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.3% of Minnesota’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 106,300 Dakota County residents, or 23.5% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 22.4% of Minnesota’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Dakota County, MN's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Dakota County, MN’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 72.2% of the Dakota County, MN population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Dakota County, MN also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.9%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Dakota County’s Hispanic population accounts for 9.1%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 9.6% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Dakota County, MN has a higher share of a Hispanic population than Minnesota as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Dakota County, MN is Lakeville with about 78,000 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Dakota County, MN ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lakeville | 77,971 |
| 2. | Eagan | 67,240 |
| 3. | Burnsville | 64,864 |
| 4. | Apple Valley | 55,272 |
| 5. | Inver Grove Heights | 36,226 |
| 6. | Rosemount | 30,581 |
| 7. | Farmington | 24,464 |
| 8. | Hastings (pt.) | 22,501 |
| 9. | West St. Paul | 21,920 |
| 10. | South St. Paul | 20,590 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
