| Official Name: | Dakota City, Iowa |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Humboldt |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Sean Phillips |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.99 |
| Area Land Km2: | 1.89 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.10 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.77 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.73 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.04 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 759 |
| Population Density Km2: | 401.40 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1039.73 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 343 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1125 |
| Coordinates: | 42.7219°N -94.2003°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 50529 |
| Area Code: | 515 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 19-18075 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1690853 |
Dakota City is a city in and the county seat of Humboldt County, Iowa, United States.[2] The population was 759 at the time of the 2020 census.[3] Dakota City shares its western border with the much larger city of Humboldt. It is the least populous county seat in Iowa.
Dakota City was laid out in 1855[4] and was named after the Dakota people.[5] A post office was established as Dakotah in 1856, and renamed Dakota City in 1924.[6]
Dakota City's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 42.721944, -94.200317.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.78sqmi, of which 0.74sqmi is land and 0.04sqmi is water.[8]
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 843 people, 351 households, and 238 families residing in the city. The population density was 1139.2PD/sqmi. There were 382 housing units at an average density of 516.2/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.
There were 351 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.2% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.89.
The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 911 people, 356 households, and 253 families residing in the city. The population density was 1238sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 379 housing units at an average density of 515sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 99.01% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population.
There were 356 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median household income was $33,977 and the median family income was $39,306. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $23,229 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,441. About 5.2% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
The Humboldt Community School District operates public schools.[11] The city is served by Mease Elementary (Dakota City), Taft Elementary School (Humboldt), Humboldt Middle School, and Humboldt High School.
The Three Rivers Bike Trail, built on an abandoned railroad grade, passes through town. One of its interesting features is a trestle just south of its highway 3 overpass where it crosses another abandoned railway — also converted to a trail. The "Three Rivers" refers to the East and West Forks of the Des Moines River and to the Boone River, all of which it spans.