{"id":4934,"date":"2023-07-01T22:19:20","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T22:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=4934"},"modified":"2026-08-07T10:25:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:25:03","slug":"dakota-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/dakota-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Dakota County, Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dakota County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the south side of the Twin Cities,
\ndirectly across the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers from Minneapolis and Saint Paul. It had a
\npopulation of 439,882 at the 2020 census, an estimated 445,771 by 2024, and covers 587 square
\nmiles (1,520 km2) centred near 44\u00b041\u2032N 93\u00b004\u2032W.<\/p>\n

Hastings is the county seat, and part of the city sits across the Mississippi in Washington
\nCounty; its postal code is 55033. The county holds 22 incorporated cities and a scatter of
\nunincorporated communities across 12 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is
\n27037.<\/p>\n

Towns & Villages in Dakota County<\/h2>\n

Dakota County has 22 incorporated cities — all classed simply as “city”
\nunder Minnesota law, with no separate town status — plus a handful of unincorporated
\nplaces inside its 12 townships. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers
\ncrossroads and rural hamlets with no city government of their own.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Place<\/th>\nType<\/th>\nTownship<\/th>\nPop.<\/th>\nZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Hastings<\/td>\nCity · seat<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n21,925<\/td>\n55033<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lakeville<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n72,812<\/td>\n55044<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eagan<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n68,642<\/td>\n55122<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Burnsville<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n63,943<\/td>\n55337<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apple Valley<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n55,638<\/td>\n55124<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Inver Grove Heights<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n35,541<\/td>\n55076<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rosemount<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n26,642<\/td>\n55068<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Farmington<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n23,534<\/td>\n55024<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
West St. Paul<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n20,822<\/td>\n55118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Northfield<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n20,709<\/td>\n55057<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
South St. Paul<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n20,536<\/td>\n55075<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mendota Heights<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n11,665<\/td>\n55120<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Empire<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n3,177<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lilydale<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n800<\/td>\n55118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hampton<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n736<\/td>\n55031<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Randolph<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n464<\/td>\n55065<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vermillion<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n439<\/td>\n55085<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunfish Lake<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n523<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mendota<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n183<\/td>\n55150<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coates<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n142<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Miesville<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nDouglas<\/td>\n134<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
New Trier<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nHampton<\/td>\n83<\/td>\n55085<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Castle Rock<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nCastle Rock<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n55010<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eureka Center<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nEureka<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Waterford<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nWaterford<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Etter<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

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

Townships<\/h2>\n

Dakota County’s 12 civil townships cover the rural southern two-thirds of the county;
\nnone contain a large population center of their own, since every sizeable community in the
\ncounty has incorporated as a separate city.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Township<\/th>\nPop. (2020)<\/th>\nMain settlements<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Ravenna<\/td>\n2,354<\/td>\nRural, no incorporated place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eureka<\/td>\n1,373<\/td>\nEureka Center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Castle Rock<\/td>\n1,350<\/td>\nCastle Rock<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vermillion<\/td>\n1,290<\/td>\nVermillion and Coates (both separate cities)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Marshan<\/td>\n1,153<\/td>\nEtter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nininger<\/td>\n865<\/td>\nSite of the vanished 1850s village of Nininger<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hampton<\/td>\n832<\/td>\nHampton and New Trier (both separate cities)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Greenvale<\/td>\n796<\/td>\nRural, no incorporated place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Randolph<\/td>\n760<\/td>\nRandolph (a separate city)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Douglas<\/td>\n748<\/td>\nMiesville<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Waterford<\/td>\n538<\/td>\nWaterford<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sciota<\/td>\n460<\/td>\nSite of the ghost town of Lewiston<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n