City and county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin

La Crosse

$266kMedian Home
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View on MapPopulation52kElevation669 ft
Quick Read

La Crosse is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the most populous city on Wisconsin's western border. The population was 52,680 at the 2020 census. The La Crosse–Onalaska metropolitan area has an estimated 140,000 residents.

01

Where It Is

Location Context
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Latitude43.80°
Longitude-91.24°
Population52k
Altitude669 ft

State Context

WisconsinU.S. state

Wisconsin is a state in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. With a population of about 6 million, and an area of about 65,500 square miles (170,000 km2), Wisconsin is the 21st-largest state by population and the 23rd-largest by area. Wisconsin has 72 counties.Wikipedia

Income tax: 3.50% - 7.65%Avg sales tax: 5.43%Property tax: 1.51%Official school data available

About the Region

Great Lakes Midwest

The Great Lakes Midwest is undergoing a quiet, steady reassessment. Cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo — long associated with industrial decline — have seen genuine neighborhood revivals driven by very low housing costs and incoming professional and creative workers. Chicago remains the undisputed anchor: a world-class city that, particularly in its residential neighborhoods, is underpriced relative to coastal equivalents. Minneapolis consistently ranks among the best-governed large cities in the country, with a walkable downtown and access to 10,000 lakes.

Winters are genuinely cold — lake-effect snow shapes life along the Great Lakes shores, and Minneapolis regularly logs the coldest temperatures of any major American city — but summers compensate with warmth and greenness that surprises transplants from the coasts. The economic base has diversified significantly: advanced manufacturing, major healthcare systems, agriculture tech, and financial services anchor the broader region, while university towns like Ann Arbor, Madison, and Bloomington punch well above their weight culturally.

02

Nature Access

Nature & Park Feeds

Closest protected landscapes, reserves, and big park systems surfaced from the same nearby feeds used in compare.

Distances in miles
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National Parks

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OpenStreetMap feed

Local Nature & Reserves

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Sources: National Park Service and OpenStreetMap
03

City Profile

Median Age30 yrs
College Educated35%bachelor's or higher
Work From Home8%of workforce
Poverty Rate21%
04

Cost of Living

Housing
$1k/mo
Median rent
$266k
Median home price
Rent burden26% of income
Household Income
$52k
Median annual
05

Livability

School Rating
6.7/10
Internet
Fiber
37%
Cable
91%
address availability
08

Current Conditions

10

Local Next Steps

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