Dakota County, NE

County

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2024 Population

21,354

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

32.5

1.25% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.5%

3.35% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$70,329

1.85% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$185,700

10.5% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

10,546

0.0474% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Dakota County, NE reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

87.8% of the residents in Dakota County, NE are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Dakota County, NE was $185,700, and the homeownership rate was 63.9%.

Most people in Dakota County, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 13.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Dakota County, NE was 2 cars per household.

Dakota County, NE borders Woodbury County, IA, Dixon County, NE, Thurston County, NE, and Union County, SD.

About the photo: Oglala National Grassland, Nebraska

Photo by Ali Eminov

United States Nebraska Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

Population & Diversity

Dakota County, NE is home to a population of 21.4k people, from which 87.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 25.6% of Dakota County, NE residents were born outside of the country (5.46k people).

In 2024, there were 2.17 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.03k people) in Dakota County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.16k Other (Hispanic) and 3.87k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

87.8%

2024 Citizenship

89.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 87.8% of Dakota County, NE residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Dakota County, NE was 89.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Dakota County, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Dakota County, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.03k ± 33
Other (Hispanic)
4.16k ± 797
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
3.87k ± 811

41.6%

Hispanic Population

8.88k people

41.6% of the people in Dakota County, NE are hispanic (8.88k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Dakota County, NE as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Nebraska.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
46,760 ± 5,245 people
Guatemala
11,721 ± 2,650 people
El Salvador
6,922 ± 2,039 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Nebraska was Mexico, the natal country of 46,760 Nebraska residents, followed by Guatemala with 11,721 and El Salvador with 6,922.

Foreign-Born Population

25.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.46k people

23.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.04k people

As of 2024, 25.6% of Dakota County, NE residents (5.46k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Dakota County, NE was 23.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Dakota County, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
238 ± 98
Gulf War (2001-)
122 ± 72
Gulf War (1990s)
103 ± 64

Dakota County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.95 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Dakota County, NE.

Economy

The economy of Dakota County, NE employs 10.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Dakota County, NE were Manufacturing (2,989 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,397 people), and Retail Trade (1,057 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($77,344), Construction ($65,394), and Public Administration ($54,239).

Employment

Occupations

10.5k

2024 Value

± 791

0.0474%

1 Year growth

± 10.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dakota County, NE grew at a rate of 0.0474%, from 10.5k employees to 10.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Dakota County, NE, are Production Occupations (1,975 people), Management Occupations (1,019 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (992 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Dakota County, NE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Nebraska (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

10.5k

2024 Value

± 791

0.0474%

1 Year growth

± 10.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dakota County, NE grew at a rate of 0.0474%, from 10.5k employees to 10.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Dakota County, NE, are Manufacturing (2,989 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,397 people), and Retail Trade (1,057 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Dakota County, NE, though some of these residents may live in Dakota County, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,604

Median earning men ± $2,117

$36,887

Median earning women ± $4,880

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,015), Construction ($63,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($59,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($182,770), Information ($56,250), and Public Administration ($54,112).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Y-Axis

2.25%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.03M people employed in Nebraska. This represents a 2.25% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.87%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Nebraska.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

33
Other Services (except Public Administration)
30
Construction
27
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$343k
Manufacturing
$85.3k
Transportation and Warehousing
$57.2k
Finance and Insurance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing the state of Nebraska. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Nebraska is currently represented by 3 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Dakota County, NE. Showing the available data for Nebraska.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (59.3%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.9%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.849%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Nebraska for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Nebraska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Deb Fischer

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Pete Ricketts

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 12, 2023
Appointed to the seat on January 12, 2023 following the resignation of Ben Sasse.

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing Nebraska.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Nebraska over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Dakota County, NE was $185,700 in 2024, which is 0.558 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $168,100 to $185,700, a 10.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Dakota County, NE is 63.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Dakota County, NE have an average commute time of 13.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Dakota County, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 20.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Dakota County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 5.37%.

Housing

Property

$185,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,209

$4,767

Median Property Taxes

±$455

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Dakota County, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Dakota County, NE compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

63.9%

Homeownership

2024

65.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.9% of the housing units in Dakota County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Dakota County, NE compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$70,329

Median Household Income

± $4,068

7.46k

Number of Households

± 629

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.46k households in Dakota County, NE declined from $70,329 from the previous year's value of $71,655.

The following chart displays the households in Dakota County, NE distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Dakota County, NE is from Nebraska.

0.447

2023 Wage GINI in Nebraska

0.444

2022 Wage GINI in Nebraska

In 2023, the income inequality in Nebraska was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.606% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Nebraska was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Nebraska in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Nebraska across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (75.3%)
Carpooled (15%)
Worked At Home (4.91%)

In 2024, 75.3% of workers in Dakota County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15%) and those who worked at home (4.91%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

13.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Dakota County, NE have a shorter commute time (13.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.243% of the workforce in Dakota County, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Dakota County, NE compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Dakota County, NE distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Dakota County, NE have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 20.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Dakota County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 5.37%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

11.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Dakota County, NE (2.44k out of 21.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Dakota County, NE is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 20.2% of the children was living in poverty in Dakota County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 234 in Dakota County, NE. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 121 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91.9% of the population of Dakota County, NE has health coverage, with 54.8% on employee plans, 16.4% on Medicaid, 11% on Medicare, 9.24% on non-group plans, and 0.43% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Dakota County, NE see 7,080 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (7,080 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3006 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 394 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

7,080 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Dakota County, NE

Primary care physicians in Dakota County, NE see an average of 7,080 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (7,080 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Dakota County, NE in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.8% under 18 years, 22.3% between 18 and 34 years, 34.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

8.12%

Uninsured

54.8%

Employer Coverage

16.4%

Medicaid

11%

Medicare

9.24%

Non-Group

0.43%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Dakota County, NE grew by 4.03% from 7.81% to 8.12%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Dakota County, NE changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 38.2 in Dakota County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Dakota County, NE.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 45.8% in Dakota County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Dakota County, NE.