Somali Population in Dakota County, MN by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Somali population in Dakota County, MN is reported at 4,901 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Most cities in Dakota County - including Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, and others - report some Somali presence. With a total matching the county''s, this suggests a fully urbanized footprint for the group. The section below compares this even spread with similar counties in Minnesota.

Top 5 cities with the largest Somali population in Dakota County

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  • 1
    Eagan
    Somali population in Eagan is 1,490
    2.19% of Eagan population is Somali
  • 2
    Burnsville
    Somali population in Burnsville is 1,246
    1.94% of Burnsville population is Somali
  • 3
    Apple Valley
    Somali population in Apple Valley is 1,042
    1.87% of Apple Valley population is Somali
  • 4
    Mendota Heights
    Somali population in Mendota Heights is 406
    3.49% of Mendota Heights population is Somali
  • 5
    Lakeville
    Somali population in Lakeville is 245
    0.34% of Lakeville population is Somali

Overview of Somali population in Dakota County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Dakota County contains 4,901 Somali residents (1.1% of 442,204 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 96th percentile within Minnesota for Somali demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Dakota County's Somali population of 1.1% surpassing both Minnesota's state average of 1.1% and the national average of 0.049%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Dakota County with 4,901 Somali residents, representing 8% of Minnesota's total Somali population of 61,353.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Dakota County maintains 8.7 Somali Americans per square mile, representing more than eleven times Minnesota's average of 0.77 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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26 Cities in Dakota County Ranked by Somali Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Somali populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, and Mendota Heights. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 26 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Dakota County, MN ranked by Somali population count
Rank by Somali Population
City
Somali Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Dakota County Somali Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Eagan 1,490 2.19% 30.40%
2 Burnsville 1,246 1.94% 25.42%
3 Apple Valley 1,042 1.87% 21.26%
4 Mendota Heights 406 3.49% 8.28%
5 Lakeville 245 0.34% 5.00%
6 Rosemount 238 0.90% 4.86%
7 South St. Paul 126 0.61% 2.57%
8 62 0.17% 1.27%
9 37 0.18% 0.75%
10 9 1.20% 0.18%
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
11 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Dakota County, MN by their Somali population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Somali population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Somali ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Somali alone, while others identify as Somali along with another race (such as Somali and German).
  • We’ve used the “Somali alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Somali population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Somali alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Somali .
  2. % of Total Dakota County Somali Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Somali population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Somali populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Somali population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Somali populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.