What HUD offices serve La Crosse, Wisconsin?
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Go to the Wisconsin Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near La Crosse.
How many renters live in La Crosse, Wisconsin?
The City of La Crosse has 52,043 people living in 22,662 households.
There are 23,674 renters living in 12,171 renter households in this City. Renters make up 45.49 percent of the population living in La Crosse.
What is the rental market like in La Crosse, Wisconsin?
There are an estimated 24,206 housing units in the La Crosse area. Of these, 12,845 units are rental homes, making up 53 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in La Crosse, Wisconsin, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in La Crosse?
The rental vacancy rate in La Crosse is 4 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.
How many rental units are in La Crosse for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in La Crosse
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 742 | 3,904 | 4,694 | 1,870 | 724 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in La Crosse
A large number of apartments in La Crosse have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.
How many renter households in La Crosse are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 49 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 27 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.
The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.
How Much Is Rent in La Crosse
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $760 to $1,904. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $760 |
| One BR | $866 |
| Two BR | $1,122 |
| Three BR | $1,515 |
| Four BR | $1,904 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in La Crosse, Wisconsin
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in La Crosse?
Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.
These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:
| Unit Size | Count of Units Below FMR | Percentage of Total Units Below FMR |
| Studio | 448 | 60 percent |
| One BR | 2,635 | 67 percent |
| Two BR | 2,614 | 56 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in La Crosse, Wisconsin
How many affordable rental units are in La Crosse?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in La Crosse, Wisconsin including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 356 |
| Public Housing | 593 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 304 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in La Crosse, Wisconsin
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse features 887 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
Low Rent Apartments in La Crosse, Wisconsin
There are 655 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in La Crosse.
Housing Choice Vouchers in La Crosse, Wisconsin
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay La Crosse landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in La Crosse.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in La Crosse, Wisconsin for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,010 and $1,234.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
