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
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
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: 14.1:1 ratio, 10.6% 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
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
How the 55.4 is built
La Crosse-Onalaska's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How La Crosse-Onalaska scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
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+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN's quality rank (top 27% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 36% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
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.
Rome, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 55.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Battle Creek, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Canton-Massillon, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Jackson, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 64/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Pueblo, CO (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 65/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using La Crosse-Onalaska's top-third Life Score
La Crosse-Onalaska scores 55.4/100 overall, but Rent (70.7) and Environment (24.6) sit 46.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of La Crosse-Onalaska's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Oshkosh is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Oshkosh
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.