Moving to
Lakeland South.

All Lakeland South data Compare Lakeland South

13,100people live here $110,735median household income▲ 37% above US $1,899median rent per month▲ 34% above US $589,300median home value▲ 77% above US

Lakeland South is an unincorporated community in King County, WA. 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 Lakeland South

Lakeland South is an unincorporated community in Washington with household incomes running above the national average and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lakeland South deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and a population that has been shrinking.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
Shrinking population
High rent burden for renters
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Lakeland South compares

Median household income

Lakeland South$110,735

Washington avg$98,141

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Lakeland South$1,899

Washington avg$1,760

US$1,413

Median home value

Lakeland South$589,300

Washington avg$564,600

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Lakeland South

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

To rent

$3,798

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,960 a year
54% of Lakeland South renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$117,860

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $58,930
Homes cost 5.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 34% above US

$1,899/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,899 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $589,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $589,300 · 54% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in King County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

King County (county-wide)

Safety

167 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Lakeland South doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the King County Sheriff's Office 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 985/100k · Policed by King County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 14% above US

30 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

73%

Work from home

14%

Carpool

10%

Public transit

1.5%

Other

0.6%

Walk

0.5%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 22% below US

28% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

3 public schools inside the boundary

There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park (23 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Lakeland South's strongest point is household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,899/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.

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