Blacktail Mountain, 2008
Lakeside’s story
78 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2008.
- 1948Lakeside is settled
LakesideMT
A town of 2,386, settled in 1948.
Population
2,386
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$874K
+3.7% in a year
Household income
$77K
median
Median age
52.8
years
Jobs based here
445
A commuter town
Is Lakeside a good place to live?
Lakeside’s best subject grade is an A− for health; its weakest is a D− for cost of living. No town in Montana scores lower than Lakeside on cost of living. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 84% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. No town among the 31 in Montana we compare has a higher typical home value than Lakeside. On history, just 4 of Montana’s 95 towns do worse. Lakeside has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lakeside stand out
Where Lakeside beats most towns.
A commuter town
87% of working residents leave Lakeside for work
Where Lakeside’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
445jobs based in Lakeside
13%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lakeside grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Lakeside is from typical.
Cost of livingD−Open →Hazard riskavalanches tops the listDOpen →HealthLogan Health Medical Center 14.3 miles awayA−Open →SchoolsB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 3.4% of households have no car; 9.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Jobs & income$77K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Lakeside: who provides what
Lakeside is unincorporated, so Flathead County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerFlathead Electric Coop10.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLakeside Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers73% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesFlathead CountyFlathead County provides services here
SchoolsSomers Elementary School DistrictFlathead High School District2 districts serve Lakeside; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteIn personMontana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFlathead County Election AdministratorFlathead County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2025
ZIP codes59922, 5993259922 93% · 59932 7%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lakeside.
HousingCost of living grade D−
Lakeside’s typical home value is about $874K
The typical Lakeside home is worth about $874,000, up 3.7% in a year, 87% above the Montana typical home.
$874KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lakeside$874K
Montana$467K
+3.7%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB+
On state tests, Lakeside’s schools beat 74% of Montana districts
Its public schools are run by the Somers Elementary District. Its one school is below.
74%of MT districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 303 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Lakeside faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by avalanches
Among 42 Montana towns, just 2 have a higher FEMA risk score than Lakeside.
84risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Lakeside ranks healthier than 77% of the country’s towns
Lakeside beats the Montana average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of adults feel lonely in Lakeside, where Montana’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 33%. 15% of Lakeside adults report frequent mental distress.
77%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Lakeside | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Montana
8 better22 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Lakeside | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6% | 7.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 9.3% |
Logan Health Medical Center
14.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Lakeside stands out in Montana and nationally: the average trip to work there is longer
Lakeside’s average trip to work is 30 minutes, above both Montana’s towns (17 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 13% of working residents work locally in Lakeside. Since 2013, Lakeside has added 144 jobs, to 445 in 2023.
13%work in town
| Lakeside | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 39% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lakeside13%
Kalispell31%
Missoula7%
Evergreen6%
Somers4%
14 mi
median commute distance
445
jobs based in Lakeside
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Montana overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (37% statewide). The median age in Lakeside is 52.8 years. 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Montana.
52.8median age · MT 40.4
| Lakeside | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.8 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 30% | 29% |
LakesideMontanaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
22%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school18%
Some college24%
Associate’s20%
Bachelor’s16%
Graduate20%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Lakeside | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.4% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.3% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.6% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.5% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.6% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 19.5% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.7% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Lakeside
Lakeside has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Lakeside’s July high is 82°F.
51″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–33°
Spring33–56°
Summer49–79°
Fall34–55°
Sep 25
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.1%conserved
| Lakeside | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
4.1%
conserved · 463 of 11,413 acres
6.2 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Volunteer Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 2. Ben Williams Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lakeside
17pages on Lakeside
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lakeside; the nearest are
Flathead Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Kalispell15.1 mi$4,912 in-state tuitionSalish Kootenai CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Pablo29.5 mi$4,311 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Lakeside residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
About Lakeside
Unincorporated community in Montana, United States
Lakeside is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,705 at the 2020 census, up from 2,669 in 2010. In 1892 the town was called Stoner, named after John J. Stoner, proprietor of a hotel near the shores of Flathead Lake. A community named Lakeside already existed in Roosevelt County. With its demise in 1920, this town changed its name. West Shore State Park is 5 miles south of town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 18 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,910 ft
- ZIP code
- 59922
Questions about Lakeside
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lakeside, MT expensive?
Yes. That is 11.8 years of the area's median household income ($73,925 across the Kalispell, MT area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.