akashic
1876–2024
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dakota County·Minnesota

Dakota County delivered a near-tie in 2024.

Twin Cities suburb where college-educated growth reshaped its margins

18762024·38 elections
Dakota County, Minnesota · Appraiser at English Wikipedia · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
D+13
in 2024
Archetype
Tossup
since the recent cycles
Population
445,771
2024 ACS
Most similar
Clackamas County
OR · similarity 0.92
142 precincts · 259,803 votes cast
Harris · D+13
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024D
+12.8%
143,267109,994259,803
2020D
+13.9%
146,155109,638262,259
2016D
+4.6%
110,59299,864231,860
2012D
+2.9%
116,255109,516230,821
2008D
+5.5%
116,778104,364225,472
2004R
−2.0%
104,635108,959215,846
2000R
−1.0%
85,44687,250182,249
1996D
+13.0%
77,29757,244154,266
1992D
+7.2%
63,66052,312157,080
1988D
+0.3%
61,94261,606124,580
1984R
−5.7%
49,12555,119104,911
1980D
+2.9%
43,43340,70894,755
1976D
+8.0%
44,25337,54284,080
1972R
−10.0%
28,47934,96764,796
1968D
+18.3%
28,41619,29049,908
1964D
+34.3%
28,39113,85642,328
1960D
+14.5%
20,15015,03235,273
1956R
−1.7%
12,67213,11225,839
1952D
+0.1%
11,89011,87123,879
1948D
+28.9%
12,4876,81919,623
1944D
+5.1%
8,5627,73116,403
1940D
+5.6%
9,3278,33917,743
1936D
+31.5%
8,8904,04315,398
1932D
+33.1%
8,9584,43913,635
1928D
+9.0%
7,2156,01913,323
1924R
−32.3%
9293,9319,284
1920R
−39.4%
2,1905,3738,086
1916D
+10.9%
2,3731,8814,508
1912D
+27.2%
1,7776094,290
1908R
−15.6%
1,7782,4814,505
1904R
−41.1%
1,0782,6853,909
1900R
−0.7%
1,8781,9043,997
1896D
+3.5%
2,3102,1474,626
1892R
−13.0%
1,4811,9893,902
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Polish
0.7%
African American
6.2%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
23.9%
Mainline Protestant
13.4%
Pentecostal & Holiness
5.9%
Other Christian
4.7%
Non-Christian
3.5%
Methodist
1.1%
Baptist
0.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 47.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Dakota County shifted from a reliable Republican stronghold into Democratic-leaning territory as its share of college-educated residents climbed alongside suburban expansion from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro edge.

The county's recent history is a story of close margins. The Democratic margin reached thirty-four points in 1964; the Republican margin reached forty-one points in 1904. Most other elections have been decided by single-digit points.

Dakota County's demographics — a population of 445,771, a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $106,318 — situate the county close to national averages on several dimensions. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Clackamas County and Jefferson County.