Dakota County, Minnesota

Dakota County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the south side of the Twin Cities,
directly across the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers from Minneapolis and Saint Paul. It had a
population of 439,882 at the 2020 census, an estimated 445,771 by 2024, and covers 587 square
miles (1,520 km2) centred near 44°41′N 93°04′W.

Hastings is the county seat, and part of the city sits across the Mississippi in Washington
County; its postal code is 55033. The county holds 22 incorporated cities and a scatter of
unincorporated communities across 12 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is
27037.

Towns & Villages in Dakota County

Dakota County has 22 incorporated cities — all classed simply as “city”
under Minnesota law, with no separate town status — plus a handful of unincorporated
places inside its 12 townships. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers
crossroads and rural hamlets with no city government of their own.

Three pairs on this list are easy to mix up. Randolph, Vermillion and Hampton each name both a
city and a separate township of the same name — the city sits inside the township
geographically but is a distinct government with its own council. Northfield’s population
figure above is citywide; the city is mostly in Rice County, with only a small northern edge
reaching into Dakota. And Coates, though it sits in the northwest corner of Vermillion Township,
is its own incorporated city, not part of the township government.

Townships

Dakota County’s 12 civil townships cover the rural southern two-thirds of the county;
none contain a large population center of their own, since every sizeable community in the
county has incorporated as a separate city.

ZIP Codes

• 55033 — Hastings
• 55044 — Lakeville
• 55122 — Eagan (also serves 55121 and 55123, both Eagan PO box ZIPs)
• 55337 — Burnsville (also serves 55306, a Burnsville PO box ZIP)
• 55124 — Apple Valley
• 55076 — Inver Grove Heights (also serves 55077, an Inver Grove Heights PO box ZIP)
• 55068 — Rosemount (also serves Coates)
• 55024 — Farmington (also serves Empire)
• 55118 — West St. Paul (also serves Lilydale, Sunfish Lake and part of Mendota Heights)
• 55057 — Northfield (the Dakota County edge of the city shares its Rice County post office)
• 55075 — South St. Paul
• 55120 — Mendota Heights
• 55031 — Hampton
• 55065 — Randolph
• 55085 — Vermillion (also serves New Trier)
• 55150 — Mendota
• 55010 — Castle Rock

Miesville, Etter, Eureka Center and Waterford have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is
delivered under the nearest incorporated city’s code.

Geography

Dakota County occupies the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, where bluffs
and river terraces in the north give way to gently rolling farmland across the southern
townships. Of its 587 square miles, 562 are land and 25 are water, about 4.2 percent — the
Mississippi forms the county’s entire northern and eastern edge, the Minnesota River much
of its northwest edge, and the Vermillion and Cannon rivers drain the southern half toward the
Mississippi near Hastings and Red Wing. Buck Hill in Burnsville, at 1,168 feet above sea level,
is the county’s highest point.

Ramsey County and Washington County lie across the Mississippi to the north and northeast,
Pierce County, Wisconsin sits across the river to the east, Goodhue County borders the
southeast, Rice County the south, Scott County lies across the Minnesota River to the southwest,
and Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, sits across the Minnesota River to the northwest. Ramsey County, Washington County, Pierce County, Goodhue County, Rice County, Scott County and Hennepin County all border Dakota
directly.

Demographics

Dakota County had a population of 439,882 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 445,771 residents as of 2024, the third-most populous county in Minnesota. Lakeville
and Eagan are the two largest cities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s
population. Median household income runs $106,318, well above Minnesota’s statewide
figure of $89,062. Population density works out to about 783 people per square mile of land,
reflecting the county’s role as a built-out inner suburb of the Twin Cities in its northern
half and a much thinner rural south.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 35,406
people, followed by manufacturing at 26,667 and retail trade at 25,910. Eagan is home to the
national headquarters of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and a major Thomson Reuters
legal and tax campus. Rosemount hosts Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend refinery, one of the
largest oil refineries in the Midwest. South St. Paul’s stockyards were once billed as the
world’s largest livestock market, a legacy of the meatpacking industry that built the city
in the early 20th century. Apple Valley is home to the Minnesota Zoo, the state’s largest
zoological park, and Rosemount hosts Dakota County Technical College. The county’s biggest
annual event is the Dakota County Fair, held in Farmington each August.

History

The Minnesota Territorial Legislature organized Dakota County on 27 October 1849, one of the
territory’s original nine counties, and named it for the Dakota Sioux bands who lived
along the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Census records spelled the name “Dahkotah”
until 1851. Hastings was designated the county seat.

The 1851 Treaty of Mendota, signed in the city of Mendota, ceded Dakota land south of the
Minnesota River to the United States and opened the county to non-Native settlement; a companion
treaty, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, ceded land further west the same year. Colonel Henry
Leavenworth had established a military stockade near the rivers’ confluence in 1819, later
built up into Fort Snelling. Interstate construction after the Second World War turned several
of the county’s villages into cities within two decades, and Burnsville, Apple Valley,
Eagan and Lakeville together absorbed well over 200,000 new residents by the end of the century.

Getting There

Interstate 35, splitting into 35E and 35W north of the county, and Interstate 494 cross
Dakota County’s northern half. US Route 52 and US Route 61 run south from Saint Paul
through Rosemount and Hastings, alongside state highways 3, 13, 19, 20, 50, 55, 56, 62, 77 and
149.

• Saint Paul — about 10 miles north
• Minneapolis — about 15 miles northwest
• Red Wing — about 25 miles southeast
• Cannon Falls — about 15 miles south

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport lies just across the county line in Hennepin
County, about eight miles from Eagan and Mendota Heights, and is the nearest major commercial
hub. South St. Paul Municipal Airport (Fleming Field) handles general aviation within the
county. Amtrak’s Empire Builder stops at Saint Paul Union Depot, about 10 miles north of
the county line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Dakota County located?
It sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers directly south of Minneapolis
and Saint Paul, bordered by Ramsey, Washington, Goodhue, Rice, Scott and Hennepin counties and
Pierce County, Wisconsin.

What is the population of Dakota County?
439,882 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 445,771 — Minnesota’s
third-most populous county.

How big is Dakota County?
587 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 562 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Dakota County?
Hastings, organized as the seat when the county was created in 1849.

How many towns and cities are in Dakota County?
22 incorporated cities, from Lakeville and Eagan down to small cities like Coates and New
Trier, plus a handful of unincorporated places across the county’s 12 townships.

What ZIP codes does Dakota County use?
17 standard ZIP codes, led by 55033 (Hastings), 55044 (Lakeville), 55122 (Eagan) and 55337
(Burnsville), plus several shared PO box codes.

What is Dakota County known for?
The 1851 Treaty of Mendota, Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend oil refinery in Rosemount,
and South St. Paul’s former stockyards, once the world’s largest livestock market.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Minnesota.