Dakota County, Nebraska

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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 267 sqmi, of which 264 sqmi is land and 3.2 sqmi (1.2%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Nebraska by area.

Major highways

• [[File:I-129.svg|25px]] Interstate 129
• [[File:US 20.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 20
• [[File:US 75.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 75
• [[File:US 77.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 77
• [[File:N-9.svg|20px]] Nebraska Highway 9
• [[File:N-12.svg|20px]] Nebraska Highway 12
• [[File:N-35.svg|20px]] Nebraska Highway 35
• [[File:N-110.svg|20px]] Nebraska Highway 110

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 2020-2022

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 21,582. The median age was 33.4 years. 29.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 51.1% White, 7.5% Black or African American, 3.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian, 0.7% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 19.4% from some other race, and 15.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 40.8% of the population.

79.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 20.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 7,400 households in the county, of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 7,765 housing units, of which 4.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.5% were owner-occupied and 35.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.

2010 census

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.

2000 census

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 PD/sqmi. There were 7,528 housing units at an average density of 28 /sqmi.

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.

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. [http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/article_98d2a1b0-3bc4-5bef-947d-3c5b3bb51590.html Dakota County license plates to keep No.70] [[Sioux City Journal]] August 18, 2009
4. [http://omaha.com/article/20090608/NEWS01/306089857 Plate math: 70 follows 1, 2, 59] {{webarchive. link. (July 12, 2012 [[Omaha World-Herald]] June 8, 2009)
5. [http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2002-11/ancestralbones.html Paulette W. Campbell, "Ancestral Bones: Reinterpreting the Past of the Omaha"] {{Webarchive. link. (June 18, 2006 , ''Humanities'', November/December 2002, Vol. 23/No. 6, accessed August 26, 2011)
6. [http://www.nacone.org/webpages/counties/countywebs/dakota.htm "Dakota County, Nebraska"] {{webarchive. link. (July 4, 2008, National Association of County Executives, Retrieved on March 14, 2008.)
7. See [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html "Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count" ''The New York Times'' May 15, 2020.]
8. (July 5, 2020). "At least 127,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S.". washingtonpost.com.
9. {{Cite AmCyc
10. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau.
11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
12. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". US Census Bureau.
16. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Dakota County, Nebraska".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
20. [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS Election Results]