La Crosse, Wisconsin

La Crosse, Wisconsin
Location of La Crosse in La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
La Crosse
La Crosse
Coordinates: 43°48′48″N 91°13′59″W / 43.81333°N 91.23306°W / 43.81333; -91.23306
CountryUnited States
StateWisconsin
CountyLa Crosse
Government
  TypeMayor-council government
  MayorShaundel Washington-Spivey (D)
Area
  City
23.79 sq mi (61.61 km2)
  Land21.70 sq mi (56.21 km2)
  Water2.08 sq mi (5.40 km2)
Elevation
669 ft (204 m)
Population
 (2020)
  City
52,680
  Estimate 
(2024)
51,049
  RankUS: 763rd
WI: 12th
  Density2,214.38/sq mi (911.34/km2)
  Urban
98,872 (US: 314th)
  Metro
139,211 (US: 299th)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (Central)
Zip Code
54601, 54602, 54603
Area code608
FIPS code55-40775
GNIS feature ID1567672
WaterwaysMississippi River, Black River, La Crosse River
Public TransitLa Crosse MTU
SMRT
Amtrak
Websitewww.cityoflacrosse.org

La Crosse (/ləˈkrɒs/ lə-KROSS) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the La Crosse–Onalaska metropolitan area, which includes all of La Crosse County and Houston County, Minnesota, with a population of 139,627.

La Crosse's economy serves as a regional educational, medical, manufacturing, and transportation hub for Western Wisconsin producing a gross domestic product (GDP) of $9.7 billion as of 2022. The city is a college town with nearly 20,000 students and is home to the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, Viterbo University, and Western Technical College. Furthermore, the La Crosse area is home to the headquarters or regional offices of Kwik Trip, Organic Valley, Mayo Clinic, Gundersen Health System, Gensler, La Crosse Technology, City Brewing Company, and Trane. La Crosse County is a top ten tourist destination in the state with $433 million in travel-related spending generated in 2023.