Jobs, pay and daily life in Onalaska, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Onalaska is a city in Wisconsin with 19,348 residents. The median household earns $85,867 a year and the median rent is $1,130 a month, which is 15.8% of the median household income. It is part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metropolitan area, where BLS counts 84,380 jobs.
How Onalaska compares. Among the 80 largest places in Wisconsin, Onalaska is #42 by population, #17 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #57 for remote work (#1 = most), #31 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, La Crosse County, is #12 of 72 counties for average pay ($58,448).
Onalaska has 19,348 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.3% of the population of Wisconsin. It covers 11 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,823 people per square mile. The median age is 40.7, about the same as the state median (40.7 against 40.2).
The median gross rent is $1,130 a month (rent plus utilities), 4% above the state median ($1,130 against $1,087). Over a year that is 15.8% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $288,900, which is 3.4 times the median household income ($85,867); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 63.1% of households own their home, 7% below the state average (63.1% against 67.8%).
The La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metropolitan area has 84,380 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $48,260 a year, 5% below the national median ($48,260 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (9,150 jobs, median $46,740); transportation and material moving (8,350 jobs, median $45,390); food preparation and serving related (8,260 jobs, median $29,590). The area is most specialised in healthcare practitioners and technical (1.5 times) and production (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are healthcare practitioners and technical ($94,260) and educational instruction and library ($59,370). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of La Crosse County was 2.6%. 66.9% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in La Crosse County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 80.2% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 0.6% walk, 10.9% work from home. 5.3% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 48% below the state average (5.3% against 10.2%).
41.7% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 25% above the state share (41.7% against 33.4%). 3.9% of residents were born outside the United States, 25% below the state share (3.9% against 5.2%). The poverty rate is 6.0%, 43% below the state rate (6.0% against 10.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 73°F (22.7°C), and the coolest is Jan at 15°F (-9.6°C). About 943 mm (37 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (140 mm) and Jan the driest (26 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: La Crosse (5 miles, rent 11% lower); Winona (26 miles, rent 22% lower); Decorah (50 miles, rent 25% lower); Rochester (64 miles, rent 24% higher). Rent differences are against Onalaska; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Wisconsin (285) →State guide: WisconsinCountry guideLa Crosse CountyWisconsin rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 285 federal postings open in Wisconsin (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 2,920 | 1.59 | $98,370 | $79,820 | $120,220 | +1% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,290 | 1.08 | $34,090 | $26,180 | $47,090 | -4% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,130 | 0.91 | $37,140 | $29,080 | $44,030 | +4% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,100 | 1.88 | $60,300 | $47,000 | $81,470 | +3% |
| Cashiers | 2,020 | 1.20 | $30,900 | $23,530 | $37,350 | -6% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,960 | 0.94 | $28,280 | $22,490 | $34,990 | -9% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,620 | 1.01 | $42,800 | $30,970 | $55,650 | +6% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,530 | 1.27 | $36,130 | $29,860 | $46,570 | -2% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,500 | 1.12 | $45,220 | $29,230 | $59,500 | +0% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,470 | 0.96 | $34,150 | $29,080 | $46,820 | -9% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,270 | 1.03 | $28,380 | $16,280 | $59,390 | -19% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,250 | 1.59 | $43,510 | $37,530 | $47,220 | +3% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,200 | 0.85 | $45,820 | $31,600 | $63,200 | +2% |
| Bartenders | 1,200 | 2.91 | $23,130 | $16,070 | $39,650 | -33% |
| General and Operations Managers | 960 | 0.51 | $102,670 | $53,650 | $226,060 | -3% |
| Food Batchmakers | 930 | 9.77 | $46,940 | $37,440 | $55,570 | +11% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 920 | 1.11 | $53,160 | $36,590 | $71,090 | +7% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 880 | 1.31 | $62,110 | $39,810 | $115,850 | -14% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 860 | 1.13 | $36,260 | $28,050 | $45,060 | -3% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 850 | 1.10 | $38,710 | $29,060 | $44,420 | +5% |
These figures are for the whole La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $48,260 (US $50,980); unemployment 2.7% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 29.9% |
| Retail trade | 16.4% |
| Manufacturing | 12.8% |
| Construction | 7.1% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 6.3% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 5.9% |
| Public administration | 5.8% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 3.5% |
| Other services | 3.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.1% |
| Information | 0.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Onalaska lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse County | 120,488 | $9,934 million | $82,450 | 69,521 | 3,551 | $58,448 | +1.0% | 2.6% | 67,180 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 15,578 | 25.3% | $71,513 | 1.56 |
| Retail trade | 8,213 | 13.3% | $33,891 | 1.18 |
| Manufacturing | 8,030 | 13.0% | $63,495 | 1.41 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,435 | 10.4% | $20,556 | 1.02 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,111 | 5.0% | $63,678 | 1.06 |
| Wholesale trade | 3,106 | 5.0% | $77,744 | 1.13 |
| Construction | 2,929 | 4.7% | $73,743 | 0.80 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,761 | 4.5% | $39,233 | 1.32 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,338 | 3.8% | $43,823 | 0.57 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,101 | 3.4% | $85,575 | 0.43 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,079 | 3.4% | $87,089 | 0.74 |
| Management of companies | 1,177 | 1.9% | $97,135 | 1.00 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,062 | 1.7% | $24,506 | 0.91 |
| Educational services | 962 | 1.6% | $45,406 | 0.67 |
| Information | 684 | 1.1% | $122,095 | 0.52 |
| Real estate and rental | 598 | 1.0% | $53,901 | 0.55 |
| Utilities | 454 | 0.7% | $112,723 | 1.72 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 67 | 0.1% | $30,315 | 0.12 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 80.2% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 0.6% |
| Work from home | 10.9% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 5.3% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,867 |
| Income per person | $52,580 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,130 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 15.8% |
| Median home value | $288,900 |
| Homeowners | 63.1% |
| Poverty rate | 6.0% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 91.8 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $48,260 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 7.65%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 40.7 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 98.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 41.7% |
| Born abroad | 3.9% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 66.9% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -9.6 | 15 | 26 |
| Feb | -8.0 | 18 | 32 |
| Mar | -0.0 | 32 | 52 |
| Apr | 7.1 | 45 | 93 |
| May | 13.8 | 57 | 122 |
| Jun | 19.7 | 67 | 140 |
| Jul | 22.7 | 73 | 101 |
| Aug | 21.3 | 70 | 114 |
| Sep | 16.8 | 62 | 103 |
| Oct | 8.5 | 47 | 74 |
| Nov | 1.3 | 34 | 43 |
| Dec | -6.1 | 21 | 43 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse | WI | 5 mi | 51,356 | $55,866 | $1,010 |
| Winona | MN | 26 mi | 26,009 | $56,337 | $882 |
| Decorah | IA | 50 mi | 7,535 | $64,366 | $853 |
| Rochester | MN | 64 mi | 122,330 | $89,389 | $1,399 |
| Eau Claire | WI | 66 mi | 70,322 | $67,395 | $1,045 |
| Chippewa Falls | WI | 73 mi | 14,782 | $57,873 | $910 |
| Marshfield | WI | 74 mi | 18,700 | $58,407 | $842 |
| Wisconsin Rapids | WI | 77 mi | 18,722 | $55,253 | $888 |
| Menomonie | WI | 77 mi | 16,539 | $56,889 | $970 |
| Baraboo | WI | 79 mi | 12,769 | $69,750 | $940 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
19,348 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,130 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 15.8% of the median household income.
$85,867 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
2.6% (BLS county, La Crosse County (latest month 2026M09)).
Wisconsin. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.