Metro Life Score

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 73rd percentile of the national corpus.

55.4
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#105
of 387 metros
73%
composite percentile
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Data updated August 2026

The verdict

La Crosse-Onalaska is above-median composite Life Score — #105 of 387 (55.4/100, grade B+, 73rd percentile). Carried by rent at 71/100; held back most by environment at 25/100.

73rd
composite percentile
#105
of 387 peers
64th
cost dimension percentile
58th
wages dimension percentile

Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite

La Crosse-Onalaska: top-third composite Life Score

La Crosse-Onalaska clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#105 of 387, 55.4/100, grade B+, 73rd percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost MID (64th) · wages MID (58th). Rent at 71/100 carries the lead; Environment (25/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN ranks #105 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #138 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.

BEA RPP 91.8 (rent-RPP 69.4). BLS median salary $65,600, 78,110 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,166/mo (studio $804).

FBI UCR (WI): 280 violent, 1157 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 10.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,256/yr. EPA: 46 Superfund sites (WI).

Where La Crosse-Onalaska sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

55 73rd percentile higher than 73% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 7 US metros (2%). Below this entry. 35–40: 34 US metros (9%). Below this entry. 40–45: 66 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 45–50: 91 US metros (24%). Below this entry. 50–55: 77 US metros (20%). Below this entry. 55–60: 60 US metros (16%). This entry sits in this band. 60–65: 44 US metros (11%). Above this entry. 65–70: 6 US metros (2%). Above this entry. 70–75: 1 US metros (0%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026

Dimension detail

How La Crosse-Onalaska scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 65/100 (20%)
Wages 58/100 (20%)
Rent 71/100 (15%)
Safety 67/100 (15%)
Schools 36/100 (10%)
Childcare 41/100 (10%)
Environment 25/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

91.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,600
Avg Median Salary
$1,166
2BR Fair Market Rent
280
Violent Crime/100K (WI)
14.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,256
Infant Childcare/yr (WI)
46
Superfund Sites (WI)
78,110
Total Employment

Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are WI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.

Compare La Crosse-Onalaska With...

Ranking Context

La Crosse-Onalaska outranks 73% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#102 Tuscaloosa, AL 55.5 B+
#103 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH 55.5 B+
#104 Canton-Massillon, OH 55.5 B+
#105 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 55.4 B+
#106 Rome, GA 55.4 B+
#107 Laredo, TX 55.2 B+
#108 Manhattan, KS 55.2 B+

WI Metro Scores

Read with La Crosse-Onalaska

Nearest composite peers and cost poles for La Crosse-Onalaska (UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. La Crosse-Onalaska Life Score 55.4/100 · signature composite · retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare