Dakota County, MN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.67, -93.06.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 85th pct · 445th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 94th pct · 6th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $270,028
- 64th pct · 6th of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median $386,707
- 33rd pct · 2,035th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 9th pct · 79th of 87 Minnesota counties · median +3.5%
- 21st pct · 12th of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median +2.1%
- 66th pct · 462nd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 84th pct · 6th of 33 Minnesota counties · median $1,370
- 53rd pct · 7th of 14 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median $1,705
- 94th pct · 181st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 97th pct · 3rd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 85th pct · 3rd of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median 39,512
- 92nd pct · 245th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 95th pct · 5th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $1,102
- 85th pct · 3rd of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median $1,216
- 66th pct · 1,025th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 62nd pct · 33rd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 4.6
- 14th pct · 13th of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median 6.4
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $393,429 (Sep 2026), +1.4% over one year, +10.4% over five
- 85th pct · 445th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 94th pct · 6th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $270,028
- 64th pct · 6th of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median $386,707
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota County, MN | $393,429 · +1.4% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $1,711/mo (Sep 2026), +1.6% over one year; price-to-rent 19.2
- 66th pct · 462nd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 84th pct · 6th of 33 Minnesota counties · median $1,370
- 53rd pct · 7th of 14 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median $1,705
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota County, MN | $1,711/mo · +1.6% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $2,179 a month on $393,429 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,461 a month: 33.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $393,429 × 80% = $314,743, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,179/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,491 × 52 / 12 = $6,461) = 34% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $393,429 / ($1,491 × 52) = 5.1
- price-to-rent = $393,429 / ($1,711 × 12) = 19.2
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
183,584 jobs at 11,773 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +0.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 94th pct · 181st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 97th pct · 3rd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 85th pct · 3rd of 15 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro · median 39,512
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota County, MN | 183,584 jobs · $1,491/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 26,725 | $1,105 | 0.97 | +1.8% |
| Retail trade | 22,326 | $840 | 1.25 | -4.7% |
| Manufacturing | 18,550 | $1,854 | 1.26 | -3.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,923 | $513 | 0.90 | -1.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 10,618 | $1,377 | 1.37 | +1.3% |
| Construction | 8,808 | $2,002 | 0.92 | -2.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 8,797 | $2,898 | 1.18 | -1.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 8,531 | $2,026 | 1.21 | -3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 7,439 | $1,034 | 0.71 | +8.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 7,333 | $2,292 | 0.58 | +1.4% |
| Other services | 6,997 | $921 | 1.28 | -1.4% |
| Information | 4,278 | $3,362 | 1.26 | -0.9% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D2 severe drought
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
Sites found: 0, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
87 gauges · 0 flooding · 12 with quality panels averaging 94 % · 18 stale
Sites found: 87, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-05345000 | flow 23.7 ft³/s | 1 km |
| USGS-05355038 | stage 5.74 ft | 16 km |
| Pine Creek (MN) near Cannon Falls 2NW | no readings | 16 km |
| USGS-05346000 | flow 38.0 ft³/s · STALE | 16 km |
| Mississippi River Below Lock and Dam 2 - Hastings | no flooding | 18 km |
| USGS-05331580 | flow 6,590 ft³/s | 19 km |
| USGS-05355092 | flow 501.0 ft³/s | 21 km |
| Prairie Creek (MN) near Cannon Falls 4WSW | no readings | 21 km |
| USGS-05344490 | flow 2,650 ft³/s | 22 km |
| USGS-05344500 | flow 9,240 ft³/s | 22 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
29 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 29, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-444205092500001 | depth 90.4 ft · 1999-07-15 | 18 km |
| USGS-445330093054301 | depth 310.1 ft · 1999-09-30 | 25 km |
| USGS-444801093202801 | depth 79.4 ft · 1999-09-30 | 26 km |
| USGS-445416093141501 | depth 21.6 ft · 2024-04-21 | 29 km |
| USGS-445410093142801 | depth 4.41 ft · 2024-04-21 | 29 km |
| USGS-445444093140401 | depth 11.4 ft · 2024-04-21 | 30 km |
| USGS-445450093140101 | depth 35.8 ft · 2024-04-21 | 30 km |
| USGS-445436093144901 | depth 8.56 ft · 2024-04-21 | 30 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
moderate (0.34)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.2×0.06 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$9.9 bn in deposits at 86 offices of 32 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,175, moderately concentrated. $6.6 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $6.3 bn, contracts $146.0 m), $35,812 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $2.5 bn · 25.2% share · 10 offices | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $1.6 bn · 16.1% share · 7 offices | |
| Old National Bank | $991.9 m · 10.0% share · 7 offices | |
| Dakota, MN | $6.6 bn FY2026 · $35,812/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $6.2 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $2,499,941,000 | 25.2% | 10 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $1,592,181,000 | 16.1% | 7 |
| Old National Bank | $991,927,000 | 10.0% | 7 |
| Vermillion State Bank | $806,603,000 | 8.1% | 6 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $748,475,000 | 7.5% | 6 |
| Merchants Bank, National Association | $320,420,000 | 3.2% | 4 |
| Associated Bank, National Association | $270,803,000 | 2.7% | 3 |
| Castle Rock Bank | $249,607,000 | 2.5% | 3 |
| Gateway Bank | $243,256,000 | 2.5% | 1 |
| Choice Financial Group | $224,859,000 | 2.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,175 across 32 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 32 banks with deposits in the county = 25.2² + 16.1² + 10.0² + … (29 more) = 1,175
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,904,977,959 |
| Social Security Administration | $2,123,604,358 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $220,411,031 |
| Department of Transportation | $123,505,443 |
| Department of Defense | $47,706,793 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $41,806,781 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $32,089,978 |
| Department of Justice | $21,044,178 |
| Department of Agriculture | $18,506,378 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $12,976,765 |
| Department of Education | $10,994,580 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $5,022,448 |
That is $35,812 per covered job, against 183,584 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $6.6 bn / 183,584 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $35,812
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Dakota County, MN: 12 findings, 1 at a watch level and 11 noted
watchDakota County, MN's covered employment is -0.8% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteDakota County, MN's covered employment was 0.8% lower than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- -0.8 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteDakota County, MN's average weekly wage was 0.6% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteDakota County, MN's covered employment of 183,584 ranks 3rd of 87 Minnesota counties, against a median of 7,739.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 87 Minnesota counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteDakota County, MN's average weekly wage of $1,491 ranks 5th of 87 Minnesota counties, against a median of $1,102.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 95 on the 0-to-100 scale across 87 Minnesota counties that published jobs.avgWeeklyWage
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 12 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.