La Crosse County, Wisconsin: commercial real estate data.
La Crosse County, Wisconsin has a population of 120,488 across 452 square miles, up 0.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $9.93 bn in 2024, 3,151 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 170 7(a) approvals worth $90.2 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
La Crosse County
How many people live in La Crosse County
- Population120,488
- Households51,497
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$73,013
- Median age37.5
- Median gross rent$1,059 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$257,000
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher36.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over78,820
- Population under 1823,330
- Share under 1819.4 percent
- Population 65 and over21,784
- Share 65 and over18.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6475,374
- Civilian labor force66,361
- Unemployment rate3.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.3 percent
- Rank by population among Wisconsin counties12th of 72
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents535th
La Crosse County is the 12th largest of 72 Wisconsin counties by population. A median home costs 3.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 19.4 percent against 18.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
La Crosse County
Is La Crosse County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.22 percent
- Census 2020 base population120,799
- Births, 20241,083
- Deaths, 20241,105
- Natural change, 2024-22
- Net domestic migration, 2024215
- Net international migration, 2024141
- Total net migration, 2024356
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-21
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1746th
The county has grown 0.22 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
La Crosse County
Where people moving to La Crosse County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,844
- People arriving, from those returns4,375
- Adjusted gross income arriving$190.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$66,841
- Largest single originLa Crosse County Non-migrants (46,954 households)
- Largest single destination (46,954 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse County Non-migrants | 46,954 | 90,704 | $4.25 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 984 | 1,642 | $69.8 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 461 | 745 | $30.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 364 | 523 | $18.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 232 | 388 | $17.8 m |
| Monroe County | 231 | 364 | $12.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 228 | 405 | $15.9 m |
| Vernon County | 163 | 255 | $9.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is La Crosse County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
La Crosse County
What the La Crosse County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$9.93 bn
- County GDP, 2023$9.51 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.4 percent
- GDP change over five years25.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Wisconsin counties11th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents442nd
- GDP per resident$82,450
Output grew 4.4 percent in the latest year and 25.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
La Crosse County
Who employs people in La Crosse County
- Covered employment, annual average69,521
- Establishments reporting3,551
- Average annual pay$58,448
- Average weekly wage$1,124
- Sector 62, employment15,578
- Sector 62, average annual pay$71,513
- Sector 44-45, employment8,213
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,891
- Sector 31-33, employment8,030
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$63,495
- Sector 72, employment6,435
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,556
- Sector 48-49, employment3,111
- Sector 42, employment3,106
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 15,578 | 671 | $71,513 |
| Sector 44-45 | 8,213 | 370 | $33,891 |
| Sector 31-33 | 8,030 | 148 | $63,495 |
| Sector 72 | 6,435 | 341 | $20,556 |
| Sector 48-49 | 3,111 | 101 | $63,678 |
| Sector 42 | 3,106 | 174 | $77,744 |
| Sector 23 | 2,929 | 306 | $73,743 |
| Sector 81 | 2,761 | 260 | $39,233 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 15,578 jobs, 22.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
La Crosse County
What businesses operate in La Crosse County
- Establishments, all industries3,151
- Employment at those establishments66,633
- Annual payroll$3.75 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
La Crosse County
What is being built in La Crosse County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024478
- Declared construction value permitted$121.6 m
- Single family units authorised216
- Multifamily units authorised262
- Multifamily share of units54.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$254,345
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.3
Multifamily is 54.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
La Crosse County
How much SBA lending happens in La Crosse County
- 7(a) approvals recorded170
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$90.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$530,484
- Median 7(a) approval$180,000
- 10th percentile approval$36,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,608,800
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,217
- Jobs per approval13.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active30
- Distinct industries receiving approvals85
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer14.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms24
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter140
- Franchise loans15
- Franchise share of approvals8.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countDrinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (9)
- Most active lenderCitizens State Bank of La Crosse (37)
- 504 approvals recorded97
- 504 gross approval dollars$77.6 m
- Average 504 approval$799,907
- Median 504 approval$574,000
- Distinct CDCs active7
- 504 jobs per approval6.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved8.4
- Most active CDCWBD, Inc. (85)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals63.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$167.8 m
The average approval of $530,484 sits well above the median of $180,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 14.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
La Crosse County
Do SBA loans in La Crosse County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded51
- Paid in full47
- Charged off4
- Charge off rate on resolved loans7.8 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure104
- Status: Paid in full47
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Charged off4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed8
Of the 51 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.8 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
La Crosse County
Which parts of La Crosse County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending9
- La Crosse, approvals97
- Holmen, approvals27
- Onalaska, approvals27
- WEST SALEM, approvals9
- Mindoro, approvals5
- STODDARD, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| La Crosse | 97 | $46,080,800 |
| Holmen | 27 | $19,247,100 |
| Onalaska | 27 | $13,159,200 |
| WEST SALEM | 9 | $5,021,000 |
| Mindoro | 5 | $526,100 |
| STODDARD | 2 | $4,749,000 |
| GENOA | 1 | $630,000 |
| COON RAPIDS | 1 | $729,000 |
La Crosse accounts for 97 approvals against 27 in Holmen. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
La Crosse County
How big is La Crosse County
- Land area452 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Wisconsin counties61st of 72
- Width, east to west25.4 mi
- Height, north to south24.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land267
- Establishments per square mile6.97
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a La Crosse County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a La Crosse County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population120,488
- Households51,497
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$73,013
- Median age37.5
Common questions
La Crosse County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in La Crosse County, Wisconsin?
120,488, in 51,497 households, ranking 12th of 72 Wisconsin counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is La Crosse County growing?
The population has grown 0.22 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,083 births against 1,105 deaths, with net migration of 356. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in La Crosse County?
$73,013. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $257,000, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,059 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in La Crosse County?
3,151 establishments, employing 66,633 people with an annual payroll of $3.75 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in La Crosse County?
Average annual pay is $58,448, or $1,124 a week, across 69,521 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in La Crosse County?
170 7(a) approvals totalling $90.2 m since FY2020, across 30 lenders, with a median approval of $180,000, plus 97 504 approvals worth $77.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in La Crosse County get paid back?
Of the 51 loans that have reached a final outcome, 47 were paid in full and 4 charged off, a charge off rate of 7.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in La Crosse County?
478 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $121.6 m. Multifamily was 54.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for La Crosse County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to La Crosse County come from?
The largest single origin is La Crosse County Non-migrants, with 46,954 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,841 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for La Crosse County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for La Crosse County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.