County profile

La Crosse County

Wisconsin · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
120,488
Median household income
$73,013
People below poverty
12.4%
Median home value
$257,000

Income

The median income of households in La Crosse County, Wisconsin was $73,013. An estimated 4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 8.3% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4
$10,000 to $14,999 3.4
$15,000 to $24,999 6.3
$25,000 to $34,999 7.1
$35,000 to $49,999 12.1
$50,000 to $74,999 18.2
$75,000 to $99,999 14
$100,000 to $149,999 17.7
$150,000 to $199,999 8.7
$200,000 or more 8.3

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 61844
Female 49626

An estimated 76.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 30.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 25.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $26,096. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76.7
Social Security 30.3
Retirement income 25.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.9
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.4 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 8.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.7% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 14.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.4
Children under 18 years below poverty 8.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.7
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 14.5

In 2020-2024, 9.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 35.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 32.7% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 27.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 95.6% had health insurance coverage and 4.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 78.1% and public coverage was 31.1%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 2.9%.


In 2020-2024, La Crosse County, Wisconsin had a total population of 120,488 - 61,223 (50.8%) females and 59,265 (49.2%) males. The median age was 37.5 years. An estimated 19.4% of the population was under 18 years, 35.6% was 19 to 44 years, 22.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.1 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 2871 2796
5 to 9 2919 3609
10 to 14 3782 3118
15 to 19 4601 4721
20 to 24 6109 7142
25 to 29 4109 3718
30 to 34 3923 3603
35 to 39 3667 3214
40 to 44 3760 3684
45 to 49 3157 3072
50 to 54 3324 3341
55 to 59 3545 3478
60 to 64 3561 3880
65 to 69 3126 3810
70 to 74 3066 2893
75 to 79 1950 2016
80 to 84 966 1020
85 and over 829 2108

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 88.2% were White; 1.5% were Black or African American; 4.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 4.5% were Asian; 0.3% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.7% of the people in La Crosse County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 87.4% of the people in La Crosse County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 51,497 households in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 2.25 people.

Married-couple households made up 43.2% of the households in La Crosse County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 9.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 25.3% of all households, while 22.2% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.4% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.2% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.6% of all households.

In La Crosse County, Wisconsin, 23.4% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 29.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 43.2
Cohabiting Couples 9.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
22.2
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.4% of males and 43.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 41.7 36.3
Now married, except separated 46.4 43.8
Separated 0.9 0.9
Widowed 2.4 8.2
Divorced 8.6 10.8

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In La Crosse County, Wisconsin, 836 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 27.4% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97% of the people living in La Crosse County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 70.7% of the La Crosse County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3% of La Crosse County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 75.7% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 78.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of La Crosse County, Wisconsin come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for La Crosse County, Wisconsin.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 15
Asia 66
Europe 14.1
Africa 4.1
Northern America 0.8
Oceania 0.1

Language

Among people at least five years old living in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 6.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.1% of people at least five years old; 2.1% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.1
Other Indo-European languages 1.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 3.2
Other languages 0.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 84.8 % of the people at least one year old living in La Crosse County, Wisconsin were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 84.8
Different house, same county 7.5
Different county, same state 4.6
Different state 2.9
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 96.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 36.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 3.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in La Crosse County, Wisconsin was 32,753 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,580 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 17,179. College or graduate school enrollment was 13,994.

Educational Attainment of People in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 3.5
High school diploma or equivalency 23.3
Some college, no degree 22.8
Associate's degree 14
Bachelor's degree 22.2
Graduate or professional degree 14.3

Disability

In La Crosse County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 12.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.3% of people under 18 years old, to 10.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 32% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In La Crosse County, Wisconsin, 64.3 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 33.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 83% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.1% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 3.9 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 53,319 83
Federal, state, or local government workers 8,411 13.1
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,512 3.9

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in La Crosse County, Wisconsin worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1
Construction 5.9
Manufacturing 12.5
Wholesale trade 2.8
Retail trade 14.3
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.7
Information 1.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.2
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 28.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8
Other Services, except public administration 4.2
Public administration 3.8

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 26,082 40.6
Service occupations 10,433 16.2
Sales and office occupations 12,651 19.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 4,637 7.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 10,473 16.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 75.5% of La Crosse County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 6.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 18.7 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 75.5
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 6.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.8
Walked 3.3
Other means 1.9
Worked from home 11.6

In 2020-2024, La Crosse County, Wisconsin had a total of 54,011 housing units. Of these housing units, 65.7% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 30% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 4.2% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 65.7
Apartments in multi-unit structures 30
Mobile homes 4.2
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

11.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 16.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in La Crosse County, Wisconsin was 5.6 rooms, and of these housing units 57.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, La Crosse County, Wisconsin had 51,497 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,514 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 62.2% while renters occupied 37.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.47 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.87.

5.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 9.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 7% and another 18.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in La Crosse County, Wisconsin:

House Heating Fuel Used in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 67.6
Electricity 28.1
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.5
All other fuels 2.1
No fuel used 0.6

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in La Crosse County, Wisconsin was $257,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 59.4 % had a mortgage. 40.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,698 and for owners without a mortgage it was $656.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for La Crosse County, Wisconsin was $1,059. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.