Duluth composite
60.2 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Duluth vs La Crosse
Duluth, MN-WI and La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 60.2
- Duluth Life Score
- A-
- Duluth grade
- 59.1
- La Crosse Life Score
- A-
- La Crosse grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Duluth scores higher on 4 (cost of living, wages, safety, schools) and La Crosse on 3 (rent, childcare, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Duluth vs La Crosse across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Duluth La Crosse ◗
cost of living
82
65
wages
67
64
rent
60
71
safety
66
61
schools
53
47
childcare
35
41
environment
25
48
Duluth and La Crosse differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Duluth has a cost-of-living index of 88.8 vs La Crosse's 91.8 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $70,452 in Duluth and $65,600 in La Crosse. A 2-bedroom averages $1,232/mo vs $1,166/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Duluth vs La Crosse Comparison
Duluth (MN) and La Crosse (WI) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 88.8 for Duluth against 91.8 for La Crosse, a 3.0-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,232/mo in Duluth and $1,166/mo in La Crosse, a $66/mo difference that compounds to $792 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $70,452 across 117,960 jobs in Duluth against $65,600 across 78,110 jobs in La Crosse. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Duluth carries the same local purchasing power as $103,381 in La Crosse - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 259.4 per 100,000 residents in MN vs 279.6 in WI, with property-crime rates of 1624.6 and 1156.8 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: MN lists 2,391 public schools at a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio, while WI lists 2,205 schools at 14.4:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $11,722/yr in the Duluth area versus $11,256/yr in La Crosse - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Duluth and La Crosse are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
La Crosse composite
59.1 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-3.0 pts
Duluth vs La Crosse BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$66 /mo
Duluth priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Duluth
Duluth composite (Grade A-)
La Crosse
La Crosse composite (Grade A-)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Duluth | La Crosse |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 88.8 | 91.8 |
| Goods | 95.3 | 93.8 |
| Services | 87.3 | 89.5 |
| Rents | 71.1 | 69.4 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in La Crosse gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Duluth?
$
Equivalent in La Crosse:
$103,381
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Duluth: 88.8, La Crosse: 91.8, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Duluth | La Crosse |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $849/mo | $804/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $978/mo | $889/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,232/mo | $1,166/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,689/mo | $1,515/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,067/mo | $1,903/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Duluth | La Crosse |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $70,452 | $65,600 |
| Total Employment | 117,960 | 78,110 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Duluth (MN) | La Crosse (WI) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 259.4 | 279.6 |
| Property Crime | 1624.6 | 1156.8 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | MN | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 2,391 | 2,205 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 15.8:1 | 14.4:1 |
| Charter Schools | 11.9% | 10.7% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | MN | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $11,722/yr | $11,256/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $10,737/yr | $10,203/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $9,850/yr | $10,203/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | MN | WI |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 592 | 991 |
| Water Systems | 993 | 977 |
| Superfund Sites | 49 | 46 |
| Water Violations | 845 | 2,233 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Duluth | La Crosse |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 39.0 | 37.0 |
| Good Air Days | 78.1% | 96.1% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 3 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | MN | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 62/100 | 36/100 |
| Total Violations | 59,895 | 285,161 |
| Health-Based Violations | 36,496 | 58,688 |
| Systems with Violations | 51.6% | 72.1% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | MN | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 476 | 454 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | MN | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 73/100 | 51/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 42.4 | 59.1 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 49.1 | 62.0 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Duluth more expensive than La Crosse? ▼
Duluth has a cost of living index of 88.8 compared to La Crosse's 91.8 (national average = 100). La Crosse is 3.0 points above Duluth on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Duluth and La Crosse? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,232/mo in Duluth vs $1,166/mo in La Crosse, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $849/mo to $804/mo.
How do salaries compare between Duluth and La Crosse? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $70,452 in Duluth and $65,600 in La Crosse, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Duluth has the same purchasing power as $103,381 in La Crosse.
Is Duluth or La Crosse safer? ▼
At the state level, MN has a violent crime rate of 259.4 per 100,000 residents compared to WI's 279.6 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1624.6 vs 1156.8 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Duluth and La Crosse? ▼
MN has 2,391 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.8:1, while WI has 2,205 schools at 14.4:1. Charter schools make up 11.9% of MN schools vs 10.7% in WI. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial