Senator Stabenow meets with Mason Belmore and Myra Bost from Lakeview High School, 2019
Lakeview’s story
159 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
- 1867Lakeview is settled
LakeviewMI
A town of 1,048, settled in 1867.
Population
1,048
2025 Census estimate · +2.9% since 2020
Typical home
$229K
+5.6% in a year
Household income
$34K
median
Median age
35.6
years
Jobs based here
351
Balanced
Is Lakeview a good place to live?
Lakeview’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Lakeview, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 16 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Lakeview has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lakeview stand out
Where Lakeview beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA+
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Lakeview4.6
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MI town3.1
Civic lifeA
49% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Michigan town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Lakeview$229K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingB+
2.8 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 74% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Small town
1,048 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Lakeview grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Lakeview is from typical.
Jobs & income$34K median household incomeD−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 8% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA+Open →HealthSheridan Community Hospital 18.5 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →SafetyCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.1 of 20; 6.9% of households have no car; 2.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →SchoolsBeat 56% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsC−Open →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life4.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.6; 10% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lakeview: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lakeview, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLakeview water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lakeview’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCato Township ClerkCato Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4885048850 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lakeview.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Very low risk in Lakeview, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities.
8risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
Residents of Lakeview are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns
Lakeview beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Lakeview, above both the Michigan town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 41% of Lakeview adults have obesity.
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Lakeview | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better25 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Lakeview | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.5% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 7% |
Sheridan Community Hospital
18.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SafetyC
Lakeview sees more crime per resident than 72% of U.S. towns
The violent crime rate in Lakeview is 0 per 1,000 residents.
28%of U.S. towns report more crimeCSafety Grade
| Lakeview | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lakeview0
Michigan4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lakeview16
Michigan13
U.S.15.5
28th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
17
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Lakeview has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Lakeview has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Lakeview’s July high is 82°F.
73″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–32°
Spring33–56°
Summer55–80°
Fall38–59°
Sep 28
typical first frost
May 18
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, the median household income in Lakeview is lower
Only 2 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower median household income than Lakeview. Since 2011, Lakeview has added 188 jobs, to 351 in 2021. Most working residents leave Lakeview for work: only 7% work in town.
7%work in town
| Lakeview | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Lakeview7%
Cato Township15%
Grand Rapids12%
Greenville5%
Lansing3%
34 mi
median commute distance
351
jobs based in Lakeview
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B+
In Lakeview, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
66% of households own their home in Lakeview. Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
$229KZillow home value
| Lakeview | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $496 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 84% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lakeview$229K
Michigan$264K
+5.6%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,176 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakeside Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lakeview
20pages on Lakeview
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 56% of MI districtsSafetyC0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than MI on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$229K typical home · up 5.6% in a yearWork & commuteD−$34K median household income · 351 jobs hereNatural hazardsA+FEMA risk higher than 8% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lakeview; the nearest are
Montcalm Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sidney15.6 mi$4,662 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids20 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Lakeview residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
About Lakeview
Village in Michigan, United States
Lakeview is a village in Cato Township in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,024 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 955 ft
- ZIP code
- 48850
Questions about Lakeview
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lakeview, MI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.