Untitled photo, 2011
Lakeland North’s story
Lakeland North in pictures
Census counts: 11,648 in 1980, 13,663 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 5 maps from 1949 on.
Explore the history →Lakeland NorthWA
Home to 15,950 people, this town lies in Washington.
Population
15,950
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$557K
Census ACS
Household income
$105K
median
Median age
40.1
years
Jobs based here
473
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#199 of 285 in WA
Is Lakeland North a good place to live?
Where it falls short is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $557K, 4.8 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Overall, Lakeland North earns a C, better than 28% of U.S. towns. That places it 199th of 285 in Washington. Its strongest is health (A−): CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 82% of the country. Add walkability to its strengths (B+): it is more walkable than nearly three quarters of U.S. towns. The town’s midpoint rent is $2,340 a month, above both the Washington town median ($1,737 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
What makes Lakeland North stand out
Where Lakeland North beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Lakeland North for work
Where Lakeland North’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
473jobs based in Lakeland North
1%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lakeland North grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Lakeland North is from typical.
Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesDOpen →HealthMulticare Auburn Medical Center 3 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listC−Open →SchoolsSchools trail most of those comparedC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11 of 20; 4% of households have no carB+Open →Jobs & income473 jobs based hereB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 2% conserved landB−Open →HistoryNear the bottom of the towns comparedDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 154 attractions →Space Needle and 131 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lakeland North. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
18 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
5 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park
19 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Space Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Lakeland North: who provides what
Lakeland North is unincorporated, so King County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLakehaven Water and Sewer DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKing CountyKing County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKing County ElectionsKing County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2021
ZIP codes98001, 9803298001 98% · 98032 2%Census 2020
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 Lakeland North.
Lakeland North has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Seattle and beyond.
HealthA−
Lakeland North’s grade for health is an A−
The share of adults in Lakeland North who smoke cigarettes: 11%. CDC measures, 31 in all: Lakeland North beats Washington on 3 and trails on 4. Two figures for adults in the town: 70% had a checkup this year, 32% sleep under 7 hours.
82%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Lakeland North | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 71% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 25% |
31 measures vs. Washington
3 better24 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Lakeland North | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with obesity | 26.1% | 30.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 11.8% | 10.2% |
Multicare Auburn Medical Center
3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
66th
percentile among WA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC−
Lakeland North’s schools rank behind 78% of Washington districts
The largest public high school is Thomas Jefferson High School, with 1,810 students. Two of the 6 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Federal Way School District.
22%of WA districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilo Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 669 | – |
| Thomas Jefferson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,810 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Lakeland North’s workers leave town for work
Lakeland North has 473 jobs for its 6,232 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
For half of commuters, work is under 11 miles away. In Lakeland North, 14% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Seattle (21%), Kent (10%) and Auburn (7%). The typical household income in the town is $105,000.
1%work in town
| Lakeland North | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Lakeland North1%
Seattle21%
Kent10%
Auburn7%
Federal Way7%
11 mi
median commute distance
473
jobs based in Lakeland North
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Lakeland North has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from earthquakes
In Lakeland North, the FEMA risk score is 73 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1996: 3. 74% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 24%.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
3
paid flood claims since 1996
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB−
Conservation land takes up 1.9% of Lakeland North
Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.8 miles of trail. In Lakeland North, the concentration of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
#172for trails in WA
| Lakeland North | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
1.9%
conserved · 41 of 2,109 acres
1.8 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Camelot Park | 0.6 mi | 18 |
| 2. Bingaman Pond Natural Area | 0.4 mi | 16 |
| 3. Lake Dollof Access Area | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Lakeland North
July afternoons average 76.7°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.6°.
For Lakeland North, the peak summer temperature is 77°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
6″snow a winter
| Lakeland North | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–48°
Spring42–60°
Summer54–75°
Fall45–61°
Nov 10
typical first frost
Mar 20
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D
The median home in Lakeland North sells for about $561K
A home in Lakeland North typically sold within 16 days of listing. Bidding over the asking price: just over a quarter of homes sold locally.
$561Kmedian sale price
| Lakeland North | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,340 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 70% | 73% |
Market temperature
16
days on market
98.9%
sale-to-list price
8
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lakeland North
17pages on Lakeland North
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
11 within 15 miles of the center of Lakeland North
Highline CollegeCommunity college · Public · Des Moines3.7 mi$4,772 in-state tuitionGreen River CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Auburn5 mi$4,711 in-state tuitionNorthwest College of Art & DesignUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Tacoma9.6 mi$18,100 tuition
About 4 of every 100 Lakeland North residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
About Lakeland North
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Lakeland North is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,663 at the 2020 census. Part of the community was annexed into neighboring Auburn in 2008.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 427 ft
- Area code
- 206
Lakeland North’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Lakeland North.
Federal WayAuburnLakeland North
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland North | #199 | C | D | — | C− | A− |
| Federal Way | #242 | C− | C− | D | C− | A− |
| Auburn | #214 | C− | D | D | B− | A− |
Lakeland North reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lakeland North with a neighbor →
Questions about Lakeland North
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lakeland North, WA a good place to live?
Lakeland North grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #199 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Lakeland North, WA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $557,000, 5% below the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.