US Census Data

La Crosse vs Onalaska

A side-by-side comparison of La Crosse and Onalaska: population, income, housing, and more.

La Crosse and Onalaska are places in Wisconsin. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.

La Crosse has the higher population (51,791 vs 18,909 in Onalaska). Onalaska has the higher median household income ($84,898 vs $53,803 in La Crosse). Onalaska has the higher median home value ($279,100 vs $196,600 in La Crosse).

Population, income & housing

La CrosseOnalaska
Population51,79118,909
Median age30.3 yrs40.3 yrs
Median household income$53,803$84,898
Median home value$196,600$279,100
Median gross rent$977$1,096
Housing units24,2748,676
Homeownership rate46.1%63.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher34.8%41.4%
Unemployment rate3.5%3.3%

Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)

La CrosseOnalaska
Population51,666 → 51,791 (+0.2%)18,662 → 18,909 (+1.3%)
Median household income$45,233 → $53,803 (+18.9%)$61,429 → $84,898 (+38.2%)
Median home value$142,500 → $196,600 (+38.0%)$196,600 → $279,100 (+42.0%)
Median gross rent$793 → $977 (+23.2%)$890 → $1,096 (+23.1%)

La Crosse

Population
51,66651,791
Median household income
$45,233$53,803
Median home value
$142,500$196,600
Median gross rent
$793$977

Onalaska

Population
18,66218,909
Median household income
$61,429$84,898
Median home value
$196,600$279,100
Median gross rent
$890$1,096

Age & race/ethnicity

Age distribution (share)

La CrosseOnalaska
Under 53.7%5.4%
5 to 1711.4%15.0%
18 to 2426.5%9.4%
25 to 3414.0%13.3%
35 to 4410.4%13.4%
45 to 548.0%10.4%
55 to 649.4%13.7%
65 to 749.9%9.5%
75 and over6.7%9.8%

Race & ethnicity (share)

La CrosseOnalaska
White (non-Hispanic)87.2%84.9%
Black or African American1.8%2.7%
American Indian & Alaska Native0.2%0.5%
Asian4.5%5.0%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander0.0%0.1%
Some other race0.0%0.3%
Two or more races3.1%3.8%
Hispanic or Latino3.1%2.7%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

Share of adults 25+

La CrosseOnalaska
No high school diploma4.9%1.4%
High school graduate25.9%19.6%
Some college or associate's34.4%37.6%
Bachelor's degree20.2%25.1%
Graduate or professional degree14.6%16.3%

Commute to work

How workers get to work (share)

La CrosseOnalaska
Drove alone68.0%83.1%
Carpooled9.2%7.2%
Public transit1.8%0.0%
Walked8.1%0.9%
Bicycle2.0%0.2%
Worked from home10.0%8.1%
Other means0.9%0.5%

Housing

Units in structure (share)

La CrosseOnalaska
1-unit, detached48.9%55.8%
1-unit, attached5.9%10.1%
2 to 4 units13.8%10.6%
5 to 19 units13.4%9.2%
20 or more units16.9%9.7%
Mobile home & other1.1%4.7%

Poverty & households

La CrosseOnalaska
Poverty rate21.6%5.9%
Average household size2.092.21
Mean commute (minutes)1618
Median year structure built19661991

Full profiles

2

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La Crosse vs Onalaska: Compare Population & Demographics | US Census Data