The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Dakota County is a county of Minnesota with 445,771 residents. Its economy produced $37,138 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 87 counties) and had 189,387 jobs with an average annual pay of $72,792 (#4 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2026M09. It is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area (central county).
Dakota County produced about $37,138 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 7.3% of the combined output of the 87 counties of Minnesota that BEA reports (about 7.8% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 87 on that measure. Per resident that is $83,313, 6% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $88,456. In current dollars output grew 4.6% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (3rd) and its output-per-resident rank (15th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 189,387 jobs located in Dakota County on average in 2024, spread over 11,950 employer sites (about 16 jobs per site). That is 0.42 jobs for every resident, above the 0.38 of the typical county in Minnesota, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $72,792, about the same as the average of all counties in the state ($72,792 against $72,400). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.7% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (15.0% of private jobs, $56,405 a year on average), retail trade (14.4% of private jobs, $39,587 a year on average), manufacturing (11.8% of private jobs, $89,850 a year on average). Together they hold 41.2% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is finance and insurance at $115,566 a year, followed by construction ($111,166). The county is specialised in several industries: transportation and warehousing (1.4 times the US share, 11,211 jobs); management of companies (1.4 times the US share, 4,485 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($39,587), accommodation and food services ($26,521). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Dakota County was 4.4%, about the same as the average of the state's counties (4.4% against 4.4%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 252,001. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.5% (2025M09) to 4.7% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $106,318 (ACS 2020–2024), 19% above the state median ($106,318 against $89,062). The guide covers 10 cities with this as the main county: Lakeville, Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, Rosemount, Farmington, Hastings. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,183 in Hastings to $1,806 in Lakeville, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Dakota County in output are Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Anoka County, Washington County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 87 counties of Minnesota ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 445,771 | 3 of 87 |
| GDP 2024 | $37,138 million | 3 of 87 |
| GDP per resident | $83,313 | 15 of 87 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 189,387 | 3 of 87 |
| Average annual pay | $72,792 | 4 of 87 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.7% | 41 of 87 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.4% | 56 of 87 |
| Median household income | $106,318 | 5 of 87 |
Federal jobs in Minnesota (792) →All cities of MinnesotaState guide: Minnesota
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Dakota County (and 1 more that extend into it).
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeville | 74,354 | $139,041 | $1,806 | $452,500 | 50.6% |
| Eagan | 68,000 | $108,690 | $1,679 | $397,100 | 54.7% |
| Burnsville | 64,463 | $87,024 | $1,513 | $355,200 | 39.8% |
| Apple Valley | 55,679 | $97,673 | $1,738 | $370,400 | 45.9% |
| Inver Grove Heights | 35,906 | $101,316 | $1,465 | $363,400 | 43.5% |
| Rosemount | 27,562 | $129,625 | $1,640 | $424,100 | 51.6% |
| Farmington | 23,902 | $123,673 | $1,241 | $366,200 | 38.7% |
| Hastings | 22,117 | $93,998 | $1,183 | $322,400 | 30.9% |
| West St. Paul | 21,382 | $68,464 | $1,282 | $301,300 | 35.5% |
| South St. Paul | 20,611 | $87,994 | $1,199 | $281,600 | 32.5% |
| Northfield | 20,742 | $84,895 | $1,103 | $329,400 | 53.3% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 24,929 | 15.0% | $56,405 | 0.92 |
| Retail trade | 24,020 | 14.4% | $39,587 | 1.27 |
| Manufacturing | 19,591 | 11.8% | $89,850 | 1.26 |
| Accommodation and food services | 15,558 | 9.3% | $26,521 | 0.90 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 11,211 | 6.7% | $68,700 | 1.40 |
| Construction | 10,366 | 6.2% | $111,166 | 1.04 |
| Finance and insurance | 9,329 | 5.6% | $115,566 | 1.21 |
| Wholesale trade | 8,925 | 5.4% | $94,100 | 1.20 |
| Administrative and waste services | 7,777 | 4.7% | $52,137 | 0.70 |
| Professional and technical services | 7,666 | 4.6% | $109,149 | 0.58 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 7,440 | 4.5% | $46,132 | 1.30 |
| Information | 4,876 | 2.9% | $117,074 | 1.37 |
| Management of companies | 4,485 | 2.7% | $160,955 | 1.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 3,588 | 2.2% | $131,212 | 1.13 |
| Educational services | 2,742 | 1.6% | $38,556 | 0.70 |
| Real estate and rental | 2,201 | 1.3% | $69,442 | 0.75 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 1,125 | 0.7% | $42,999 | 0.73 |
| Utilities | 555 | 0.3% | $155,036 | 0.77 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 111 | 0.1% | $119,099 | 0.15 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 252,001 |
| Employed residents | 241,005 |
| Unemployed residents | 10,996 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 189,387 |
| Employer sites | 11,950 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County | 1,269,496 | $193,617 million | $152,515 | 917,117 | $90,157 | 4.7% |
| Ramsey County | 542,945 | $56,256 million | $103,613 | 325,226 | $77,908 | 4.8% |
| Dakota County | 445,771 | $37,138 million | $83,313 | 189,387 | $72,792 | 4.4% |
| Anoka County | 370,349 | $20,603 million | $55,630 | 133,130 | $65,235 | 4.6% |
| Washington County | 276,238 | $17,078 million | $61,822 | 95,625 | $60,700 | 4.3% |
| Saint Louis County | 200,123 | $13,874 million | $69,326 | 95,504 | $60,452 | 4.8% |
| Olmsted County | 164,498 | $15,729 million | $95,618 | 103,905 | $79,579 | 3.7% |
| Stearns County | 160,865 | $12,618 million | $78,439 | 87,252 | $62,313 | 4.2% |
| Scott County | 154,557 | $10,952 million | $70,861 | 63,111 | $62,133 | 4.1% |
| Wright County | 148,269 | $7,314 million | $49,330 | 48,758 | $55,999 | 4.0% |
| Carver County | 110,041 | $7,614 million | $69,189 | 40,848 | $67,445 | 3.9% |
| Sherburne County | 100,560 | $4,897 million | $48,695 | 28,090 | $57,774 | 4.2% |
| Blue Earth County | 69,871 | $5,641 million | $80,730 | 41,255 | $56,997 | 4.0% |
| Rice County | 67,917 | $4,083 million | $60,123 | 26,196 | $60,604 | 4.3% |
| Crow Wing County | 67,686 | $4,044 million | $59,744 | 31,053 | $53,044 | 4.5% |
| Clay County | 66,059 | $2,919 million | $44,189 | 19,702 | $53,697 | 3.9% |
| Otter Tail County | 60,475 | $3,285 million | $54,319 | 22,910 | $52,013 | 4.2% |
| Chisago County | 57,991 | $2,242 million | $38,657 | 16,091 | $57,806 | 4.4% |
| Winona County | 49,779 | $2,964 million | $59,533 | 24,022 | $52,828 | 3.9% |
| Goodhue County | 47,943 | $3,916 million | $81,676 | 21,366 | $60,513 | 4.3% |
| Beltrami County | 46,512 | $2,519 million | $54,160 | 20,746 | $54,299 | 4.8% |
| Itasca County | 45,275 | $2,579 million | $56,960 | 16,608 | $54,071 | 5.5% |
| Kandiyohi County | 44,079 | $3,138 million | $71,183 | 23,173 | $51,980 | 4.3% |
| Isanti County | 42,596 | $1,593 million | $37,402 | 11,704 | $49,899 | 4.7% |
| Benton County | 41,593 | $2,398 million | $57,648 | 17,384 | $55,955 | 4.4% |
| Mower County | 40,343 | $2,995 million | $74,237 | 16,932 | $61,042 | 4.1% |
| Douglas County | 39,575 | $2,860 million | $72,262 | 19,527 | $57,062 | 3.7% |
| Steele County | 37,439 | $2,874 million | $76,778 | 18,956 | $61,897 | 5.1% |
| McLeod County | 36,798 | $2,397 million | $65,127 | 15,697 | $56,991 | 4.0% |
| Carlton County | 36,518 | $1,907 million | $52,219 | 13,269 | $58,073 | 4.8% |
| Becker County | 35,343 | $2,058 million | $58,232 | 15,120 | $53,242 | 3.9% |
| Nicollet County | 34,411 | $1,983 million | $57,618 | 14,609 | $56,235 | 3.8% |
| Morrison County | 34,249 | $1,501 million | $43,817 | 11,175 | $47,270 | 4.3% |
| Cass County | 30,992 | $1,363 million | $43,976 | 10,661 | $43,904 | 5.1% |
| Polk County | 30,705 | $1,694 million | $55,173 | 12,036 | $54,723 | 4.0% |
| Freeborn County | 30,623 | $1,740 million | $56,823 | 11,963 | $53,099 | 4.3% |
| Pine County | 29,640 | $995 million | $33,566 | 7,799 | $44,269 | 5.5% |
| Le Sueur County | 29,113 | $1,243 million | $42,702 | 8,667 | $54,749 | 4.0% |
| Mille Lacs County | 27,125 | $1,160 million | $42,759 | 9,372 | $47,582 | 5.0% |
| Brown County | 25,800 | $2,006 million | $77,755 | 13,221 | $55,442 | 3.7% |
| Todd County | 25,575 | $1,141 million | $44,618 | 7,081 | $53,332 | 4.4% |
| Lyon County | 25,503 | $2,100 million | $82,342 | 13,763 | $52,859 | 3.9% |
| Meeker County | 23,468 | $1,586 million | $67,570 | 8,042 | $53,874 | 4.2% |
| Nobles County | 22,041 | $1,897 million | $86,069 | 9,788 | $55,354 | 4.3% |
| Hubbard County | 21,831 | $968 million | $44,349 | 6,263 | $46,510 | 4.6% |
| Wabasha County | 21,565 | $1,094 million | $50,743 | 6,566 | $47,637 | 3.8% |
| Fillmore County | 21,414 | $877 million | $40,957 | 6,235 | $44,287 | 3.5% |
| Dodge County | 21,045 | $1,065 million | $50,614 | 5,967 | $61,269 | 3.8% |
| Martin County | 19,780 | $1,429 million | $72,228 | 8,245 | $53,706 | 4.1% |
| Waseca County | 18,885 | $1,256 million | $66,525 | 5,530 | $54,072 | 4.4% |
| Houston County | 18,653 | $810 million | $43,441 | 5,031 | $47,489 | 3.3% |
| Kanabec County | 16,390 | $549 million | $33,486 | 4,221 | $51,717 | 5.2% |
| Aitkin County | 16,056 | $674 million | $41,956 | 4,328 | $47,689 | 5.7% |
| Redwood County | 15,350 | $1,490 million | $97,097 | 6,096 | $53,471 | 4.1% |
| Roseau County | 15,302 | $1,699 million | $111,040 | 7,971 | $62,932 | 4.0% |
| Sibley County | 15,005 | $722 million | $48,135 | 3,884 | $52,827 | 4.0% |
| Renville County | 14,558 | $1,190 million | $81,743 | 5,483 | $55,239 | 4.6% |
| Wadena County | 14,256 | $744 million | $52,221 | 5,650 | $50,358 | 4.9% |
| Faribault County | 13,914 | $788 million | $56,662 | 4,549 | $51,879 | 4.1% |
| Pennington County | 13,791 | $2,743 million | $198,876 | 9,793 | $55,946 | 4.3% |
| Chippewa County | 12,377 | $774 million | $62,519 | 5,290 | $52,949 | 4.2% |
| Koochiching County | 11,833 | $643 million | $54,317 | 4,246 | $56,827 | 5.7% |
| Cottonwood County | 11,458 | $865 million | $75,500 | 4,847 | $49,092 | 7.2% |
| Pope County | 11,418 | $750 million | $65,713 | 4,459 | $56,347 | 4.0% |
| Watonwan County | 11,205 | $611 million | $54,515 | 4,510 | $48,323 | 4.3% |
| Lake County | 10,879 | $565 million | $51,908 | 3,902 | $54,467 | 4.1% |
| Jackson County | 9,933 | $881 million | $88,693 | 5,021 | $51,882 | 4.7% |
| Swift County | 9,748 | $800 million | $82,053 | 3,737 | $55,905 | 6.2% |
| Stevens County | 9,739 | $816 million | $83,820 | 5,738 | $63,358 | 3.0% |
| Rock County | 9,621 | $992 million | $103,076 | 3,689 | $53,870 | 3.5% |
| Yellow Medicine County | 9,451 | $784 million | $82,978 | 3,621 | $49,625 | 3.9% |
| Pipestone County | 9,284 | $988 million | $106,464 | 4,302 | $50,888 | 3.3% |
| Marshall County | 8,909 | $439 million | $49,319 | 2,435 | $56,634 | 4.1% |
| Clearwater County | 8,616 | $393 million | $45,662 | 2,536 | $58,036 | 5.5% |
| Murray County | 8,097 | $721 million | $89,102 | 2,914 | $49,046 | 4.5% |
| Lac qui Parle County | 6,682 | $435 million | $65,099 | 2,185 | $47,748 | 3.3% |
| Wilkin County | 6,371 | $386 million | $60,516 | 1,644 | $56,011 | 3.8% |
| Norman County | 6,367 | $246 million | $38,667 | 1,710 | $48,805 | 3.8% |
| Grant County | 6,127 | $367 million | $59,903 | 1,920 | $49,396 | 3.8% |
| Cook County | 5,635 | $388 million | $68,911 | 2,628 | $45,255 | 3.8% |
| Lincoln County | 5,603 | $588 million | $105,001 | 1,684 | $45,358 | 3.9% |
| Mahnomen County | 5,358 | $249 million | $46,553 | 1,989 | $57,380 | 4.8% |
| Big Stone County | 5,127 | $336 million | $65,621 | 1,694 | $53,377 | 4.0% |
| Kittson County | 4,084 | $223 million | $54,583 | 1,436 | $49,935 | 3.6% |
| Red Lake County | 3,915 | $248 million | $63,332 | 985 | $44,602 | 5.3% |
| Lake of the Woods County | 3,821 | $242 million | $63,329 | 1,578 | $54,228 | 5.7% |
| Traverse County | 3,243 | $348 million | $107,164 | 1,069 | $48,921 | 3.2% |
445,771 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$37,138 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.4% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
189,387 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $72,792 (BLS QCEW).