Dakota
Village
Location of Dakota in Stephenson County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 42°23′17″N 89°31′27″W / 42.38806°N 89.52417°W / 42.38806; -89.52417
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Stephenson
Township	Dakota
Incorporated	March 11, 1869 (1869-03-11)
Government
• Mayor	Alisha Lizer
Area [1]
• Total	0.25 sq mi (0.64 km2)
• Land	0.25 sq mi (0.64 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	945 ft (288 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	500
• Density	2,008.03/sq mi (776.71/km2)
ZIP Code(s)	61018
Area code	815
FIPS code	17-18342
[2]

Dakota is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 506 at the 2010 census, up from 499 in 2000.

Dakota was laid out in 1857 when the railroad was extended to that point.^[3] A post office has been in operation at Dakota since 1857.^[4]

Dakota is located at 42°23′17″N 89°31′27″W / 42.38806°N 89.52417°W / 42.38806; -89.52417 (42.387936, -89.524289).^[5]

According to the 2010 census, Dakota has a total area of 0.29 square miles (0.75 km²), all land.^[6]

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 499 people, 197 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,731.9 inhabitants per square mile (668.7/km²). There were 203 housing units at an average density of 704.6 per square mile (272.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.00% White, 0.80% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.40% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.

There were 197 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 27.4% 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 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,942, and the median income for a family was $50,357. Males had a median income of $35,263 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,440. About 1.4% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.