About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, have a job
In La Crosse County, 12.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives La Crosse County's score
In La Crosse County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 9.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in La Crosse County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
La Crosse County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th percentile
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- 23.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.1% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.6 · 202538th percentile
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- 20.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,443 · 202426th percentile
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- 11.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.8% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
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- 9.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.7% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in La Crosse County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In La Crosse County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
La Crosse County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In La Crosse County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In La Crosse County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in La Crosse County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.1% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2012.
The share of households in La Crosse County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 9.3%
Low on the chart: 6.7% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
How La Crosse County has changed
La Crosse County's population had its largest rise, from 83,788 in 1974 to 91,999 in 1979.
La Crosse County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 121,060, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 121,060. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in La Crosse County rose by about a third to 70,077, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 59,224. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,877 | 2024 $76,443 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in La Crosse County's history
1851
Created in 1851. Wikipedia
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $11.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Hail in April 2011 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in May 2011 did $15.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 120,784, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Hail in June 2020 did $45.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered La Crosse County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
La Crosse County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border La Crosse County, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, five score higher. Of the group, La Crosse County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jackson County gets the largest, at 26.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, WI | 27 | 13.5% | 26.2% |
| Monroe County, WI | 13 | 9.8% | 23.7% |
| Vernon County, WI | 13 | 11.6% | 26.1% |
| Winona County, MN | 11 | 13.3% | 22.1% |
| Houston County, MN | 10 | 8.6% | 23.6% |
| La Crosse County, WI | 9 | 11.3% | 19.6% |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 4 | 9.4% | 24.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is La Crosse County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, La Crosse County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 25th highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, La Crosse County ranks 41st of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in La Crosse County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Catholic Charities - LA Crosse, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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CCCS of Sheboygan
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Action of Wisconsin
Legal aid
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for La Crosse County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in La Crosse County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.