Note: As defined by the US Census Bureau, a city's official boundaries often extend miles beyond the city itself and may even cross county lines. As such, several thousand US cities officially exist in two or more counties (and therefore appear on multiple counties' lists of cities.)
City | Rank | 2024 Pop. | 2020 Pop. | Change | Density (/mi²) | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul | 1 | 301,380 | 311,140 | -0.8% | 5,799 | 52.0 | City |
| Lakeville | 2 | 78,314 | 70,030 | 2.72% | 2,121 | 36.9 | City |
| Eagan | 3 | 66,948 | 68,740 | -0.66% | 2,147 | 31.2 | City |
| Burnsville | 4 | 64,857 | 64,517 | 0.13% | 2,601 | 24.9 | City |
| Apple Valley | 5 | 55,024 | 56,271 | -0.56% | 3,261 | 16.9 | City |
| Inver Grove Heights | 6 | 36,210 | 35,824 | 0.27% | 1,300 | 27.9 | City |
| Rosemount | 7 | 28,191 | 25,786 | 2.18% | 848 | 33.3 | City |
| Farmington | 8 | 23,993 | 23,655 | 0.35% | 1,547 | 15.5 | City |
| West St. Paul | 9 | 22,110 | 20,558 | 1.79% | 4,505 | 4.9 | City |
| Hastings | 10 | 22,109 | 22,156 | -0.05% | 2,136 | 10.4 | City |
| South St. Paul | 11 | 20,648 | 20,712 | -0.08% | 3,671 | 5.6 | City |
| Mendota Heights | 12 | 11,500 | 11,756 | -0.55% | 1,267 | 9.1 | City |
| Lilydale | 13 | 774 | 805 | -1.02% | 1,400 | 0.6 | City |
| Hampton | 14 | 710 | 741 | -1.11% | 577 | 1.2 | City |
| Sunfish Lake | 15 | 511 | 525 | -0.78% | 341 | 1.5 | City |
| Randolph | 16 | 453 | 464 | -0.66% | 475 | 1.0 | City |
| Vermillion | 17 | 424 | 444 | -1.17% | 430 | 1.0 | City |
| Mendota | 18 | 180 | 186 | -1.1% | 679 | 0.3 | City |
| Coates | 19 | 136 | 142 | -1.45% | 91 | 1.5 | City |
| Miesville | 20 | 129 | 135 | -1.53% | 74 | 1.7 | City |
| New Trier | 21 | 80 | 84 | -1.23% | 426 | 0.2 | City |
Note: City markers shown outside the county boundary mean that a part of the city extends into this county, but is primarily located in an adjacent county.
St. Paul is the largest city in Dakota County.
New Trier is the smallest city in Dakota County.
There are 21 cities in Dakota County, Minnesota.