Lake CarolineVA
2,862 residents make their home in this town in Virginia.
Is Lake Caroline a good place to live?
Several subjects drag its grade down. Its weakest is walkability (D). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Overall, Lake Caroline earns a D: better than 14% of U.S. towns, and 224th of 249 in Virginia. Where it does best is hazard risk (B). At about $298K, a typical home costs 3.4 years of the county’s $87K median household income. This Virginia town has 7 places on the National Register. The town’s typical journey to work is 50 minutes, above both Virginia’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Lake Caroline has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
2,260 counted in 2010 and 2,511 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Lake Caroline grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Lake Caroline is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Lake Caroline: who provides what
Lake Caroline is unincorporated, so Caroline County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Caroline.
Lake Caroline sends most of its workers to Fredericksburg and beyond, but it has poverty well above the Virginia rate.
Compared with most of Virginia and the rest of the country, the average trip to work in Lake Caroline is longer
Lake Caroline has 43 jobs for its 1,295 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 50.2 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
The top destinations are Fredericksburg (6%), Richmond (6%) and Ashland (2%). Lake Caroline had 43 jobs in 2023, down 222 from 2013. Among residents in the town, 23% live below the poverty line.
| Lake Caroline | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 50 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and hot summers: that is Lake Caroline’s year
Lake Caroline has chilly winters and warm summers. Summer afternoons peak near 89° in July, and January nights bottom out around 26°; snowfall runs to about 12 inches a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Top of a low hazard risk in Lake Caroline: inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 61% of U.S. communities. 46% of Lake Caroline’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 22%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Residents of Lake Caroline are less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
For adults in Lake Caroline, the share who have obesity is 40%. Two figures for adults locally: 24% have been diagnosed with depression, 36% have high blood pressure.
| Lake Caroline | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lake Caroline | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.3% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lake Caroline keeps 0.3% of its land conserved
Parks and preserves in Lake Caroline: 13, covering 20 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Main Beach | — | 6 |
| 2. Little Beach | — | 2 |
| 3. Lake Caroline Basketball Court | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A home in Lake Caroline sells for about $348K at the median
Lake Caroline’s midpoint rent comes in at $1,764 a month. On the market locally: a median 59 days to sell. 30% of the homes sold in Lake Caroline went for more than their asking price.
| Lake Caroline | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,764 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Kings Dominion and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Caroline. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Theme parkKings Dominion
21 mi National MonumentGeorge Washington Birthplace National Monument72K visitors a year
31 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
30 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
31 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
31 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond ColiseumPhoto credits
Kings Dominion: Erechtheus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George Washington Birthplace National Monument: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain · Hollywood Cemetery: Andrew Bain, Public domain · Robert E. Lee Monument: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White House of the Confederacy: AlbertHerring, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richmond Coliseum: Mentes at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Everything we know about Lake Caroline
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lake Caroline; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Lake Caroline residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
100% of working residents leave Lake Caroline for work
Where Lake Caroline’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Lake Caroline
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Lake Caroline is a census-designated place in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 2,511. It is a gated lakeside subdivision located approximately 2 miles (3 km) south of Ladysmith and 10 miles (16 km) north of Doswell. The CDP is bordered by U.S. Route 1 on the east, Cedar Fork Road on the south, and State Route 683 on the north.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 230 ft
Questions about Lake Caroline
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Caroline, VA a good place to live?
Lake Caroline grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #224 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B− for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Lake Caroline, VA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $298,000, 28% below the Virginia typical home.