Dakota County, Nebraska

Dakota County
County
Dakota County courthouse in Dakota City
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°23′N96°34′W / 42.39°N 96.56°W / 42.39; -96.56
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	March 7, 1855
Named for	Dakota people
Seat	Dakota City
Largest city	South Sioux City
Area
• Total	267 sq mi (690 km2)
• Land	264 sq mi (680 km2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,582
• Density	76.5/sq mi (29.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.dakotacountyne.org

Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 21,582. ^[1] Its county seat is Dakota City. ^[2]

Dakota County is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Dakota County is represented by the prefix 70 (it had the 70th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922). In August 2009, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners reversed a decision to abandon this system for alphanumeric plates upon introduction of new license plates in 2011. ^[3] Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy Counties remain the only counties with alphanumeric plates in the state. ^[4]

History

Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived along the Missouri River for millennia. By 1775, the Omaha people had migrated west of the Missouri, where they established a major settlement, Ton-wa-tonga, (the Big Village). It had some 1100 residents. From here, the Omaha controlled fur trading on the upper Missouri River with other tribes and with French-Canadian traders, often called voyageurs . The Omaha were the first of the Northern Plains tribes to have adopted an equestrian culture. ^[5]

Dakota County was formed by European-American settlers in 1855. They named it after the Dakota Sioux tribe, who were powerful in the area of Nebraska and South Dakota at the time. ^[6] By this time, the Omaha were concentrated further south in what became the state of Nebraska.

In 1885, the county went to the United States Supreme Court in Dakota County v. Glidden over a dispute with issuing bonds.

As of May 2020, the county had the second-highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate of any American county. About one of every 14 residents has tested positive, mostly at Tyson's large meat packing plant in Dakota City. There were 1452 cases reported as of May 11, 2020. ^[7] This had increased by July 4, 2020, to 1634 cases, and 38 deaths, giving Dakota County the highest per capita death rate to that date. ^[8]

Geography

Dakota County lies on the northeast line of the Nebraska state line. Its northeast boundary line abuts the southwest boundary lines of the states of South Dakota and Iowa, across the Missouri River. The county terrain consists of rolling prairies and bottom lands. ^[9]

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 267 square miles (690 km²), of which 264 square miles (680 km²) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) (1.2%) is water. ^[10] It is the second-smallest county in Nebraska by area.

Dakota county and features

Major highways

• Interstate 129
• U.S. Highway 20
• U.S. Highway 75
• U.S. Highway 77
• Nebraska Highway 9
• Nebraska Highway 12
• Nebraska Highway 35
• Nebraska Highway 110

Adjacent counties

• Union County, South Dakota - northeast
• Woodbury County, Iowa - east
• Thurston County - south
• Dixon County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	819		—
1870	2,040		149.1%
1880	3,213		57.5%
1890	5,386		67.6%
1900	6,286		16.7%
1910	6,564		4.4%
1920	7,694		17.2%
1930	9,505		23.5%
1940	9,836		3.5%
1950	10,401		5.7%
1960	12,168		17.0%
1970	13,137		8.0%
1980	16,573		26.2%
1990	16,742		1.0%
2000	20,253		21.0%
2010	21,006		3.7%
2020	21,582		2.7%
2022 (est.)	21,042	[11]	−2.5%
US Decennial Census [12] 1790-1960 [13] 1900-1990 [14] 1990-2000 [15] 2010-2013 [1] [16] 2020-2022 [1]

As of the 2020 United States Census The racial makeup of the county was 43.3% non-hispanic white, 7.4% African American, 2.8% Asian and 40.8% hispanic.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,006 people and 7,314 households residing in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 85% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 4.1% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, and 2.2% from two or more races. 39.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites were 48.4% of the population.

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 20,253 people, 7,095 households, and 5,087 families residing in the county. The population density was 77 inhabitants per square mile (30/km²). There were 7,528 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.84% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 1.86% Native American, 3.08% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 12.91% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. 22.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.0% were of German and 10.5% Irish ancestry.

There were 7,095 households, out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.30.

The county population contained 30.50% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 20.10% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,834, and the median income for a family was $43,702. Males had a median income of $28,341 versus $22,035 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,125. About 9.20% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Dakota City (county seat)
• South Sioux City

Villages

• Emerson (partial)
• Homer
• Hubbard
• Jackson

Unincorporated communities

• Goodwin
• Nacora
• Willis

Politics

Dakota County voters have leaned Republican for several decades. From 1952, the county has selected the Republican Party candidate in over 80% of national elections, but the significant Hispanic population has led to the margins of victory not being as wide as those in most rural counties in the state.

United States presidential election results for Dakota County, Nebraska ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,926	57.59%	2,744	40.25%	147	2.16%
2016	3,616	57.59%	2,314	36.85%	349	5.56%
2012	3,094	50.42%	2,922	47.62%	120	1.96%
2008	3,292	51.47%	2,994	46.81%	110	1.72%
2004	3,526	53.30%	3,027	45.76%	62	0.94%
2000	3,119	51.46%	2,695	44.46%	247	4.08%
1996	2,592	43.31%	2,632	43.98%	761	12.72%
1992	2,793	43.21%	2,335	36.12%	1,336	20.67%
1988	2,744	48.17%	2,942	51.64%	11	0.19%
1984	3,467	57.76%	2,510	41.82%	25	0.42%
1980	3,165	57.67%	1,930	35.17%	393	7.16%
1976	2,631	52.67%	2,292	45.89%	72	1.44%
1972	2,879	62.22%	1,748	37.78%	0	0.00%
1968	2,383	56.60%	1,541	36.60%	286	6.79%
1964	1,906	41.80%	2,654	58.20%	0	0.00%
1960	2,977	56.13%	2,327	43.87%	0	0.00%
1956	2,516	53.08%	2,224	46.92%	0	0.00%
1952	2,643	57.38%	1,963	42.62%	0	0.00%
1948	1,379	36.76%	2,372	63.24%	0	0.00%
1944	1,703	46.13%	1,989	53.87%	0	0.00%
1940	2,140	46.91%	2,422	53.09%	0	0.00%
1936	1,264	29.52%	2,741	64.01%	277	6.47%
1932	863	21.92%	3,044	77.32%	30	0.76%
1928	1,709	49.35%	1,754	50.65%	0	0.00%
1924	1,235	39.38%	964	30.74%	937	29.88%
1920	1,525	62.58%	873	35.82%	39	1.60%
1916	612	36.45%	1,032	61.47%	35	2.08%
1912	408	28.53%	612	42.80%	410	28.67%
1908	729	48.96%	716	48.09%	44	2.96%
1904	855	63.52%	399	29.64%	92	6.84%
1900	692	46.35%	777	52.04%	24	1.61%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dakota County, Nebraska

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Dakota County license plates to keep No.70 Sioux City Journal August 18, 2009
4. Plate math: 70 follows 1, 2, 59 Archived July 12, 2012, at archive.today Omaha World-Herald June 8, 2009
5. Paulette W. Campbell, "Ancestral Bones: Reinterpreting the Past of the Omaha" Archived June 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine , Humanities, November/December 2002, Vol. 23/No. 6, accessed August 26, 2011
6. "Dakota County, Nebraska" Archived July 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , National Association of County Executives, Retrieved on March 14, 2008.
7. See "Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count" The New York Times May 15, 2020.
8. Fox, Joe; Mayes, Brittany Renee; Schaul, Kevin; Shapiro, Leslie; Berkowitz, Bonnie (July 5, 2020). "At least 127,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S." washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
9. Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Dakota. II. A N. E. county of Nebraska"  . The American Cyclopædia .
10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates" . Retrieved December 26, 2019.
12. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
16. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Dakota County, Nebraska". census.gov. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
17. Election Results

42°23′N96°34′W / 42.39°N 96.56°W / 42.39; -96.56