Official Federal Data
Dakota County, Nebraska
FIPS 31043 · Sioux City, IA-NE-SD · Population 21,354
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$70,329 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$2.4B ▲
GDP
14.6% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$70,329 ▲
Per Capita
$32,253 ▲
Mean Household
$91,843 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.5% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Dakota County$70,329
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 29.5%
18-34 · 23.4%
35-54 · 22.2%
55-64 · 12.1%
65+ · 12.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
78.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 10.9 pts
14.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 21.1 pts
3.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 10.8 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
21,354
Population
11,114
Labor Force
Employed
10,546
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 12 min below national avg
13.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.9%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 21.1 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Young population: Median age of 32 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 5,825 workers (54.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $63,464.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $2.4B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Manufacturing averages $63,464 while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation averages $21,345, a 3.0x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
6,532
Cluster Employment
3.22x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Truck Transportation
14.06x 1,861
3.22x 6,532
Construction of Buildings
1.57x 261
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.18x
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
54 employed
0.30x
Ambulatory Health Care Services
239 employed
0.39x
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
72 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Truck Transportation concentrates at 14.06x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 3 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$185,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,069 ▲
Rent/Mo
63.9% ▼
Owner-Occ
4.5% ▼
Vacancy
2.6x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$796/mo
1 Bedroom
$925/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,154/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,386/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,528/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,758/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.6x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,758/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
12,315 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 12 min below national avg
13.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
85.4%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
14.6% ▲
HS Diploma+
78.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
20,331/yr
6,113/yr
3,604/yr
3,235/yr
2,955/yr
2,601/yr
1,823/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
24.9%
Service
15.9%
Sales & Office
18.1%
Construction / Maint.
10.9%
Production / Transport
30.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 10,546 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 13.9-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 12,952 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Dakota County shows strong potential for truck transportation attraction, with a 14.06x concentration and 1,861 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across truck transportation, , and construction of buildings creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Dakota County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Dakota County, Nebraska?
21,354 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Dakota County, Nebraska?
$70,329 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Dakota County, Nebraska?
3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Dakota County, Nebraska?
$2.4B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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