Dakota County and the Twin Cities Metro area growth since 2010 bucks the trend of 37 counties in Minnesota that had a lower population in 2021 than it did in 2010.

Most of the counties with declining population are in Southwest and Northwest Minnesota.

Hastings has seen a slight dip in population in the last couple years, according to United States Census Bureau statistics.

The overall population in Minnesota is growing, with a 2021 population of 5,742,036 people, compared to 5,303,925 in 2010.

The City of Hastings 2021 population, according to the Census Bureau, was 22,063 in 2021, down 2.5 percent from the 2019 figure of 22,738 and 109 residents below the 2010 population of 22,172.

Dakota County’s population from 2010 to 2021 increased 9.3 percent, from 398,552 to 435,863.

Dakota County is expected to continue growing. Its population is projected at 503,687 by 2050.

Here’s a snapshot of other notable statistics of life in Dakota County.

Median age – The median age has jumped fairly dramatically in the last 40 years. The median age in Dakota County in 1980 was 27.1, increasing to 33.7 by the year 2000. In 2021, the Census Bureau reports it as 38.1. Overall, 14.3 percent of the county population is 65-plus. That number was 10 percent in 2010.

Median income – The median household income in Dakota County in 2021 was $93,892, compared to a figure of $77,706 statewide.

Cost of living – The cost of living in Dakota County in 2021 was $36,502. The wage needed to sustain that for a worker is $17.55 per hour. The figures are from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Percent of population living in poverty – The Census Bureau statistics indicate that in 2021, 5.4 percent of Dakota County’s population is living in poverty, down from the high-water mark of 7.1 percent in 2016. In 200, 3.6 percent of the Dakota County population lived in poverty.

Social Security income -Per capita Social Security payments in Dakota County were $3,248.68 in 2021, up from $1,891.47 in 2010.

Public assistance – Of those receiving income assistance, the per capita payment in Dakota County in 2021 was $881, compared to $460.81 in 2015.

Farms – The numbers of farms in Dakota County has dwindled. The latest figures available were from 2017, when there were 820 farms in the county, down from 892 in 2012 and 1,065 in 2007.