--- title: Reasons To Do Business in Dakota County description: "Sometimes we fail to acknowledge the value we have in the Twin Cities. Here is some information from a presentation made by Dakota County commissioners this fall. What Businesses Want: *Smart productive workers *Innovation *Growing Labor Force *Easy access to markets *Available, affordable facilities *Robust, diverse economy *Reliable, affordable services *Pro-business leadership *Great quality of life Dakota County has a well-educated, productive workforce. 37% have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 32% State and 28% US. As of June 2011, unemployment was 6.7% with 76.8 % employed and 77.5% two-income families. Higher education is valued and we have access to dozens of world class universities and colleges. We have a history of innovation including Rollerblade, Northern Tools, Goodrich Sensor Systems, Image Trend and more. Dakota County saw a 12% increase in population from 2000 – 2010 and also an increased labor force. Accessibility comes in several forms, including MSP International Airport plus several smaller airports, Mississippi River barge transport, rail lines and 440 miles of well-maintained, well-connected system of highways—interstate, state and county. There is 5.6 million square feet of commercial/retail buildings, 14.4 million square feet of office space and 980 industrial buildings with 40 million square feet. If you need commercial, retail, office or industrial space, we have choices for you! Dakota County believes in pro-business leadership and has the lowest county tax rate in the state! Plans for an extensive fiber network and Intelligent Community designation by 2012 are underway. There are six engaged Chambers of Commerce advocating for business. Several Fortune 500 and 1000 companies from a variety of sectors create a diverse and robust economy. Businesses in Dakota County include Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CHS, Thomson Reuters, Flint Hills Resources, Fairview Ridges Hospital, Patterson Dental, and several growing small businesses such as Outdoor GreatRoom, Space Trailers, Bio Thera and Image Trend. There are 9,452 private sector firms with 148,130 employees. Manufacturing and health care sectors account for around 24% of total employment. Dakota County has a high quality of life as rated by Money Magazine. Median household income is $69,545 with 77% ownership rate and lowest percentage of cost burdened homeowners in the metro area. Public schools average some of the highest ACT test scores in the nation with over 80% participation rate. There are several opportunities to access the arts, leisure and entertainment. As you can see, Dakota County is a great place to live and work. Ask us if you have any real estate needs to grow your business. Our specialty is the south metro area of the Twin Cities and our motto is creating property solutions for you, with you." --- office@approdevelopment.com info@cerron.com [![Commercial Real Estate Solutions Providers - Appro and Cerron](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/ApproDevelopment_Oct2020/images/dual_logo_400_offset2.png?width=400&height=225&name=dual_logo_400_offset2.png "Commercial Real Estate Solutions Providers - Appro and Cerron")](https://approdevelopment.com/) - [Home](https://approdevelopment.com/) - [Appro Design & Build](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/) - [Current Projects](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/current-projects/) - [Land Development](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/land-development/) - [Design & Build](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/design-build/) - [General Contractor](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/general-contractor/) - [Completed Construction Projects](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/completed-projects/) - 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[Services](https://approdevelopment.com/services/) - [Finance Resources](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/finance-resources/) - [1031 Tax Deferred Exchange](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/1031-tax-deferred-exchange/) - [Cost Segregation](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/cost-segregation/) - [About Us](https://approdevelopment.com/about-us/) - [Testimonials](https://approdevelopment.com/testimonials/) - [Meet Our Team](https://approdevelopment.com/about-us/meet-the-team/) - [Mission, Vision, Values](https://approdevelopment.com/mission-statement/) - [In the Community](https://approdevelopment.com/in-the-community/) - [Property Solutions Newsletter](https://approdevelopment.com/newsletter-archives/) - [Safety Mission](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/safety-mission/) - [Contact Us](https://approdevelopment.com/contact-us/) - [Resources](https://approdevelopment.com/resources/) - [Mortgage Calculator](https://approdevelopment.com/mortgage-calculator/) - [Space Calculator](https://approdevelopment.com/space-calculator/) - [Lean Principles](https://approdevelopment.com/services/lean-principles/) - [Finance Resources](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/finance-resources/) - [1031 Tax Deferred Exchange](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/1031-tax-deferred-exchange/) - [Cost Segregation](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/cost-segregation/) - [Subcontractor Info](https://approdevelopment.com/design-build/subcontractor-info/) - [Property Owner](Javascript:void(0);) - [Building Maintenance Checklist](Javascript:void(0);) - [Blog](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/)   # **APPRO and CERRON Blog**   # Reasons To Do Business in Dakota County Published by [Roz Peterson](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/author/roz-peterson) on Nov 8, 2011 10:45:55 AM Sometimes we fail to acknowledge the value we have in the Twin Cities. Here is some information from a presentation made by Dakota County commissioners this fall. What Businesses Want: \*Smart productive workers \*Innovation \*Growing Labor Force \*Easy access to markets \*Available, affordable facilities \*Robust, diverse economy \*Reliable, affordable services \*Pro-business leadership \*Great quality of life Dakota County has a well-educated, productive workforce. 37% have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 32% State and 28% US. As of June 2011, unemployment was 6.7% with 76.8 % employed and 77.5% two-income families. Higher education is valued and we have access to dozens of world class universities and colleges. We have a history of innovation including Rollerblade, Northern Tools, Goodrich Sensor Systems, Image Trend and more. Dakota County saw a 12% increase in population from 2000 – 2010 and also an increased labor force. Accessibility comes in several forms, including MSP International Airport plus several smaller airports, Mississippi River barge transport, rail lines and 440 miles of well-maintained, well-connected system of highways—interstate, state and county. There is 5.6 million square feet of [commercial/retail](http://www.approdevelopment.com/real-estate/real-estate-for-lease/retail-real-estate-for-lease/) buildings, 14.4 million square feet of [office space](http://www.approdevelopment.com/real-estate/real-estate-for-sale/office-real-estate-for-sale/) and 980 [industrial](http://www.approdevelopment.com/real-estate/real-estate-for-lease/industrial-real-estate-for-lease/) buildings with 40 million square feet. If you need [commercial, retail, office or industrial space](http://www.cerron.com/), we have choices for you! Dakota County believes in pro-business leadership and has the lowest county tax rate in the state! Plans for an extensive fiber network and Intelligent Community designation by 2012 are underway. There are six engaged Chambers of Commerce advocating for business. Several Fortune 500 and 1000 companies from a variety of sectors create a diverse and robust economy. Businesses in Dakota County include Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CHS, Thomson Reuters, Flint Hills Resources, Fairview Ridges Hospital, Patterson Dental, and several growing small businesses such as Outdoor GreatRoom, Space Trailers, Bio Thera and Image Trend. There are 9,452 private sector firms with 148,130 employees. Manufacturing and health care sectors account for around 24% of total employment. Dakota County has a high quality of life as rated by Money Magazine. Median household income is $69,545 with 77% ownership rate and lowest percentage of cost burdened homeowners in the metro area. Public schools average some of the highest ACT test scores in the nation with over 80% participation rate. There are several opportunities to access the arts, leisure and entertainment. As you can see, Dakota County is a great place to live and work. Ask us if you have any [real estate](http://www.approdevelopment.com/real-estate/) needs to grow your business. Our specialty is real estate in the south metro area of the Twin Cities and our motto is creating property solutions for you, with you. Tags: [Real Estate For Sale](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/real-estate-for-sale), [Construction Projects](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/construction-projects), [Real Estate For Lease](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/real-estate-for-lease), [Investment Real Estate](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/investment-real-estate), [In The Community](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/in-the-community), [office space for lease](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/office-space-for-lease), [Commercial Space For Lease](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/commercial-space-for-lease), [office space for sale](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/topic/office-space-for-sale) [Back to Blog](https://blog.approdevelopment.com) ## Related Articles ## [Dakota County Office Deals Abound](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/blog/dakota-county-office-deals) Dakota County office deals abound! CERRON is excited to offer a variety of office spaces priced at... [Read More](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/blog/dakota-county-office-deals) ## [Information on County Road 70 expansion project](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/information-on-county-road-70-expansion-project) The Appro team would like to remind our clients and commercial property owners about the upcoming... [Read More](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/information-on-county-road-70-expansion-project) ## [Commercial Real Estate MN & County Hwy 70](https://blog.approdevelopment.com/commercial-real-estate-mn-county-hwy-70) Commercial Real Estate MN & County Hwy 70 has been in the local news recently. The Lakeville... 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