Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,225, settled in 1876. 3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
La Crosse’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 30% of residents are 65 or older in La Crosse, above both the Kansas town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On cost of living, just 24 of Kansas’ 373 towns do better. On civic life, just 10 of Kansas’ 362 towns do better. Rush County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. La Crosse has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where La Crosse beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far La Crosse is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 513 in 1890, a peak of 1,769 in 1950, 1,266 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Crosse, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in La Crosse.
The typical La Crosse home is worth about $95,000, up 4.7% in a year, 61% below the Kansas typical home. At $725 a month, La Crosse’s median rent is where Kansas’ towns sit at $975 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 66% of households own their home in La Crosse.
| La Crosse | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $725 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
15% of La Crosse residents are under 18. Only 5 of the 152 Kansas towns we compare have a higher median age than La Crosse. La Crosse has lost 3.5% of its people since 2020, down to 1,225 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| La Crosse | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 47.8 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| La Crosse | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 2.4% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.9% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.8% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.7% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
La Crosse has chilly winters and hot summers. The July high in La Crosse is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 4 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than La Crosse. La Crosse beats the Kansas average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than La Crosse.
| La Crosse | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | La Crosse | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.2% | 77.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 4 of La Crosse’s working residents works in town. La Crosse’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Since 2013, La Crosse has lost 129 jobs, to 482 in 2023.
| La Crosse | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 2019, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Crosse.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grass Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of La Crosse; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 La Crosse residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
City in Rush County, Kansas
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of Rush County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,266. La Crosse proclaims itself the "Barbed Wire capital of the world.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.