Census-designated place · Henrico County, Virginia

Lakeside, Virginia

Lakeside is a census-designated place in Henrico County, Virginia, part of the Richmond, VA metro area. It has 12,654 residents. Lakeside, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,779 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #116 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on new business applications (high), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and gyms and fitness centers (high). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), property crime rate (high) and homicide rate (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,779 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #116 of 375 in VA
Population: 12,654 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 2,926.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 5143464

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety44#8,779/15,637
Economy75#3,834/15,631
Housing38#9,218/14,977
Health61#6,156/15,609
Healthcare89#1,655/15,650
Environment95#695/15,453
Education87#2,060/15,649
Infrastructure85#2,335/15,650
Community86#2,149/15,651
Leisure & amenities81#2,910/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lakeside, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Henrico County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New business applications · high31.7 /1k
98/100Virginia 15.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauHenrico County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
98/100Virginia 14 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauHenrico County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.3 /10k
96/100Virginia 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHenrico County value
Natural hazard risk · low4.6
92/100Virginia 17.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyHenrico County value
Flu vaccinations · high54.0%
90/100Virginia 47.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHenrico County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Virginia 6.6United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHenrico County value

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Virginia 14.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHenrico County value
Property crime rate · high1,816 /100k
18/100Virginia 1,354 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationHenrico County value
Homicide rate · high6.0 /100k
21/100Virginia 4.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHenrico County value
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100Virginia 2.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
27/100Virginia 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHenrico County value
Rent as share of income · high35.8%
33/100Virginia 29.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.9% (2015-2019) → 93.5% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
16.7% (2015-2019) → 9.3% (2020-2024)
−7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$56,131 (2015-2019) → $72,032 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.7% (2015-2019) → 91.6% (2020-2024)
+4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 39.5% (2020-2024)
+4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.3× (2015-2019) → 4.0× (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lakeside, Virginia improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Uninsured−7.4 points16.7% → 9.3%
Unemployment−2.3 points3.9% → 1.6%
Household income+28%$56,131 → $72,032
Broadband+7.6 points85.9% → 93.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Lakeside, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.3 min2015-2019	20.0 min2020-2024	−2.3 min	Within the margin of error	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.3%2015-2019	39.5%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Broadband subscriptions	85.9%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	47%
Child poverty rate	12.5%2015-2019	12.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Effective property tax rate	0.78%2015-2019	0.63%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	47%
High school diploma or higher	86.7%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	37%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4282015-2019	0.3892020-2024	−0.039	Within the margin of error	79%
Median household income	$56,1312015-2019	$72,0322020-2024	+28%	Improved	52%
Poverty rate	10.1%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Rent as share of income	33.1%2015-2019	35.8%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Rent-burdened households	59.0%2015-2019	56.0%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Unemployment rate	3.9%2015-2019	1.6%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Improved	85%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.7%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Improved	93%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Lakeside, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lakeside, Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Lakeside, Virginia itself moved +6.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

12,654 residents (±1,012)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,648 households (±412)

Lakeside, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k12%†692
$25k–50k16%897
$50k–75k23%†1,325

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,648 households (±412)

Lakeside, Virginia
Virginia share

Own65%3,683
Rent35%1,965

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

6,986 workers (±593)

Lakeside, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone71%4,949
Carpool3.2%†226
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Richmond, VA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Henrico County, the county holding most of Lakeside's residents.

Henrico County has 9,754 employer establishments, 290 for every 10,000 residents (1.17× the US rate of 248; 1.20× Virginia's), with 183,459 paid employees at an average annual pay of $67,993. The Census Bureau also counts 33,003 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,754; 33,003 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 290; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 183,459
Average annual pay: $67,993; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Henrico County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	910	27.1	1.30×More than typical	13,176	$82,485	1,439
Restaurants and other eating places	641	19.1	1.04×About typical	13,126	$23,931	190
Lessors of real estate	521	15.5	1.26×More than typical	3,377	$87,521	3,368
Specialty trade contractors	439	13.1	0.84×About typical	6,147	$73,819	1,537
Limited-service restaurants	310	9.2	1.15×About typical	6,018	$21,207	75
Computer systems design and related services	287	8.5	1.97×More than typical	2,398	$108,059	463
Offices of physicians	274	8.2	1.26×More than typical	5,585	$118,671	289
Offices of other health practitioners	270	8	1.32×More than typical	1,586	$51,308	674
Full-service restaurants	268	8	1.04×About typical	6,123	$27,394	84
Management, scientific and technical consulting	267	7.9	1.18×About typical	1,838	$94,753	1,389
Insurance agencies and brokerages	242	7.2	1.64×More than typical	3,739	$91,865	446
Services to buildings and dwellings	239	7.1	1.05×About typical	2,253	$39,674	1,862

Rank places for an industry Open Henrico County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 336,037 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $389.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lakeside, Virginia: $30.79 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $389.6K; −5.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $30.79; US $1,994
Sole-source: 27%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$145.7K37%
Department of the Navy$65.2K17%
Federal Acquisition Service$64.9K17%
Environmental Protection Agency$27.1K7.0%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$18.8K4.8%
Department of the Air Force$18.5K4.7%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$17.4K4.5%
Department of State$13.6K3.5%

Top recipients

FIRE-X CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA$145.9K37%
POWER SYSTEMS & CONTROLS, INC.$71K18%
BEAM DISTRIBUTING, INC.$64.9K17%
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH$27.2K7.0%
HANA ENGINEERS & CONSULTANTS LLC$27.1K7.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1MFY2017
2MFY2018
1.2MFY2019
729KFY2020
876.3KFY2021
202.3KFY2022
538.1KFY2023
687.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$111.3K29%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$70.7K18%
Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing · 3372$64.9K17%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$27.9K7.2%
Business schools and computer and management training · 6114$18.1K4.6%
Building equipment contractors · 2382

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Lakeside, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Lakeside, Virginia's figures are part of those of Henrico County, VA ($262.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lakeside is mostly in Henrico County.

See federal money in Henrico County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Lakeside, Virginia is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Henrico County93100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Richmond, VA78

Other cities and towns in Henrico County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5143464

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends