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Cost of living, pay and housing

35.23° N · 119.08° W · GEOID 0639759

Lakeside

Kern County, California · part of the Bakersfield, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_household_income, median_home_value

CaliforniaLakeside, CALakesideLakeside

The short answer

Lakeside is home to 807 people. Median household income is $70,210 a year and median rent is $1,303 a month, 22.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $338,300, about 4.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,303
5% below the median place
Median household income
$70,210
13% below the median place
Median home value
$338,300
6% above the median place
Unemployment
8.6%
76% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lakeside

  • Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of the 2,104 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 615 California places.
  • The median resident is 57.8 years old, older than in 97% of places its size.
  • 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 86% of places its size.
01

Moving to Lakeside

Kern County loses about 2.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in23,856
Moved out25,282
Net−1,426

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$55K
Leavers$62K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Kern County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Kern County report $55,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $62,400, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$52,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,303 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,968 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $338,300.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 0.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Lake Havasu City, AZ matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Moved here in the past year1
3.3%
43% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$55,079
22% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLakesideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.3%43% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-2.0233% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$55,07922% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$62,41911% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.5%, 41% below the median place.

Lakeside22.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$52,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.3%
9% above the median place
Home price to income
4.8x
27% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
22%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$52,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lakeside, $1,303 a month, and local prices for everything else (103.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lakeside.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lakeside? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.5%
41% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,842
44% below the median place
Homeownership1
74.1%
12% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLakesideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3035% below
Rent to income122.3%9% above
Property tax rate10.5%41% below
Home price to income14.8x27% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure100.90% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,6563% above
HUD area median income4County figure$81,90024% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,84244% below
Median home value1County figure$338,3006% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.0%37% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure51.0%1% below
Homeownership174.1%12% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure56.4%12% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure$1,9685% above
Vacant homes1County figure7.2%2% above
Median year built119760% below
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 0.0%, below the median place (median 12.4%).

Works from home1
0.0%
below the median place (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$40,051
0% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLakesideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1County figure$70,21013% below
Income per person1$40,0510% below
Unemployment1County figure8.6%76% above
Average annual pay6County figure$61,7376% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.8%24% below
Jobs6County figure347,044130% above
Poverty rate1County figure19.1%77% above
Mean commute1County figure24 min2% below
Works from home10.0%below (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
57.8
48% above the median place
High school or higher1
76.5%
17% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureLakesideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18076646th largest
Median age157.848% above
Bachelor's or higher115.4%52% below
High school or higher176.5%17% below
Household size12.45% below
Born abroad1County figure20.2%129% above
No health insurance1County figure7.8%22% above
Homes with broadband1100.0%8% above
05

Life in Lakeside

26 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.9 −24%
Shops21.9 −28%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.9 −54%
Doctors' offices and clinics15.0 −26%
Child care centers1.5 −35%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students10
197,431
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools10
275
above the median place (median 9)
Shops per 10k8
21.9
28% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureLakesideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure275above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure197,431above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure22.445% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure15.924% below
Shops per 10k8County figure21.928% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.954% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure15.026% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.535% below
National Register listings9County figure26100% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 8.9 in, 80% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lakeside. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation11
8.9 in
80% below the median place
July average high11
96°F
10% above the median place
Heat wave risk12
99.5
10% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureLakesideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure96°F10% above
January average low11County figure36°F44% above
Average temperature11County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation11County figure8.9 in80% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure98.97% above
Tornado risk12County figure19.876% below
Wildfire risk12County figure99.863% above
Heat wave risk12County figure99.510% above
Median air quality index13County figure7063% above
Good air days13County figure17.5%74% below
08

Places like Lakeside

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Lake Havasu City, AZ$1,320$70,148Compare
Mims, FL$1,250$59,005Compare
Port Charlotte, FL$1,553$63,844Compare
Fort Mohave, AZ$1,010$64,815Compare
Fort Mohave, AZPort Charlotte, FLMims, FLLake Havasu City, AZLakeside, CALakesideLake Havasu CityMimsPort CharlotteLakesideLake Havasu CityMimsPort Charlotte

Common questions

Is Lakeside a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of the 2,104 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 615 California places. The median resident is 57.8 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lakeside expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $338,300.

What salary do you need to live in Lakeside?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $52,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lakeside?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lake Havasu City, AZ, Mims, FL, Port Charlotte, FL and Fort Mohave, AZ.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lakeside with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lakeside itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lakeside-kern-county-california

Citytistics. “Lakeside, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lakeside-kern-county-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.