PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

59.1
Life Score / 100
A-
Grade (curved)
#69
of 387 metros
82%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

La Crosse ranks #69 of 387 US metros, ahead of 82% - carried by its rent (71/100) and held back most by childcare (41/100).

71
strongest: Rent
65
then: Cost of Living
41
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where La Crosse sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

59 Top 18% higher than 82% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). 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 · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the La Crosse Life Score

La Crosse's composite score of 59.1 out of 100, a grade of A-, places the metro at rank #69 of 387, ahead of 82% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (71/100) and Cost of Living (65/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (41/100) and Schools (47/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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). Ranks #66-#72 below.

Dimension detail

How La Crosse scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 65/100 (20%)
Wages 64/100 (20%)
Rent 71/100 (15%)
Safety 61/100 (15%)
Schools 47/100 (10%)
Childcare 41/100 (10%)
Environment 48/100 (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

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare La Crosse With...

La Crosse vs Wausau Compare → La Crosse vs Duluth Compare → La Crosse vs Oshkosh Compare → La Crosse vs Wildwood Compare → La Crosse vs Waterloo Compare → La Crosse vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

La Crosse outranks 82% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#66 Lima, OH 59.2 A-
#67 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 59.2 A-
#68 Lynchburg, VA 59.3 A-
#69 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 59.1 A-
#70 Jacksonville, FL 59.0 B+
#71 Decatur, IL 58.7 B+
#72 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 58.7 B+

WI Metro Scores

Wausau, WI A- 61.1 Duluth, MN-WI A- 60.2 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI A- 60.1 Sheboygan, WI A- 59.8 Madison, WI B+ 56.9 Fond du Lac, WI B+ 55.6

Using La Crosse's Life Score

La Crosse is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is rent (71/100) and its weakest is childcare (41/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put La Crosse head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where La Crosse lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are La Crosse's biggest strengths? ▼
La Crosse's strongest dimensions are Rent (71/100), Cost of Living (65/100), Wages (64/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are La Crosse's weakest areas? ▼
La Crosse's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (41/100), Schools (47/100), Environment (48/100).
How expensive is La Crosse compared to the national average? ▼
La Crosse's Regional Price Parity is 91.8 (8.2% less than national); rent RPP 69.4.
What is the average salary in La Crosse? ▼
La Crosse median salary: $65,600, 78,110 jobs. Top: Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
La Crosse's 59.1/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.