Moving to
Lakeside.

All Lakeside data Compare Lakeside

12,654people live here $72,032median household income▼ 11% below US $1,361median rent per monthNear US average $288,200median home value▼ 13% below US

Lakeside is an unincorporated community in Henrico County, VA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Lakeside

Lakeside is an unincorporated community in Virginia with home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lakeside deals with a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.

The good

Affordable home prices
Low unemployment in the county
Short commutes
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes

The not so good

High rent burden for renters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Lakeside compares

Median household income

Lakeside$72,032

Virginia avg$93,170

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Lakeside$1,361

Virginia avg$1,579

US$1,413

Median home value

Lakeside$288,200

Virginia avg$383,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Lakeside

Based on Lakeside's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,722

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $54,440 a year
54% of Lakeside renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$57,640

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $28,820
Homes cost 4.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,361/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,361 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $288,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $288,200 · 54% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.3% county unemployment

Unemployment in Henrico County is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Henrico County (county-wide)

Safety

159 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Lakeside doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Henrico County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1806/100k · Policed by Henrico County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 23% below US

20 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 24% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

71%

Work from home

24%

Carpool

3.2%

Other

1.2%

Walk

0.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

40% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 40% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

3 public schools inside the boundary

There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Maggie L Walker National Historic Site (5 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Lakeside's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($1,361/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), remote workers (24% of workers here already work from home), and people who want short commutes.

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