54603 ZIP Code — La Crosse, WI

La Crosse County, Wisconsin

ZIP code 54603 is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, within La Crosse County. It covers approximately 8.86 square miles and serves a population of 13,780 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 608.

About ZIP code 54603

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $164,200. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 51%.

Median household income is $52,113. SNAP benefit usage at 18% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 31% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 19 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 23% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Overall, ZIP code 54603 reflects a community defined by a significant Social Security-dependent population and elevated reliance on food assistance.

13,780

population

8.86

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

54603 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 54603

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 54603. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
La Crosse	Acceptable
La Crosse	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

54650 Onalaska (3.1 mi) 55947 La Crescent (5.4 mi) 55925 Dakota (7.1 mi) 54601 La Crosse (8 mi) 54636 Holmen (9.6 mi) 54669 West Salem (9.7 mi) 55941 Hokah (10.6 mi) 54658 Stoddard (14.3 mi) 54623 Coon Valley (14.4 mi) 55943 Houston (14.8 mi) 55919 Brownsville (15.1 mi) 54614 Bangor (15.5 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	13,780
Population density	1,555 / sq mi
State FIPS	55
County FIPS	063

Geography
Land area	8.86 sq mi
Water area	0.95 sq mi
Latitude	43.8685
Longitude	-91.2789
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	608

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	51.6%	41.5%	39.4%
$50k – $100k	35.1%	33.2%	33.0%
$100k – $200k	9.7%	19.8%	22.4%
Over $200k	3.7%	5.5%	5.2%

Demographics & statistics

13,780

Population

1,555

People per sq mi

38.0

Median age

$52,113

Median household income

$34,925

Per capita income

$164,200

Median home value

$897

Median monthly rent

50.5%

Home ownership

16.1%

Poverty rate

4.0%

Unemployment

3,828

Housing units

23.4%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

341

Under 5

328

437

5–9

419

245

10–14

235

332

15–19

318

549

20–24

526

1,327

25–34

1,273

884

35–44

848

593

45–54

569

785

55–59

753

397

60–64

381

782

65–74

750

226

75–84

216

136

85+

130

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	2,355	17.1%
18 and over	11,425	82.9%
65 and over	2,240	16.3%
Median age	38.0 years

Race & ethnicity

White 84.1%

Two or more races 6.5%

Asian 3.8%

Black or African American 3.1%

Hispanic or Latino 1.5%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%

Other race 0.2%

Group	Count	%
White	11,763	84.1%
Two or more races	907	6.5%
Asian	538	3.8%
Black or African American	429	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	208	1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	120	0.9%
Other race	23	0.2%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	51.6%	41.5%	39.4%
$50k – $100k	35.1%	33.2%	33.0%
$100k – $200k	9.7%	19.8%	22.4%
Over $200k	3.7%	5.5%	5.2%

Under $10k 4.8%

$10k–$15k 6.1%

$15k–$25k 9.5%

$25k–$35k 11.7%

$35k–$50k 16.3%

$50k–$75k 23.2%

$75k–$100k 11.7%

$100k–$150k 10.3%

$150k–$200k 2.8%

$200k+ 3.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.8%
$10k–$15k	6.1%
$15k–$25k	9.5%
$25k–$35k	11.7%
$35k–$50k	16.3%
$50k–$75k	23.2%
$75k–$100k	11.7%
$100k–$150k	10.3%
$150k–$200k	2.8%
$200k+	3.6%
Median income	$52,113

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 4.5%

$50k–$100k 7.0%

$100k–$150k 26.7%

$150k–$200k 31.8%

$200k–$300k 19.5%

$300k–$500k 7.1%

$500k–$1M 2.9%

$1M+ 0.5%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$164,200
Median rent / month	$897
Owner occupied	50.5%
Renter occupied	49.5%
Vacant	6.8%
Single-family detached	56.3%
Large apartment buildings	10.3%
Mobile homes	2.2%
Median rooms	5.1
Avg household size (owned)	2.39

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	2.4%
2000–2009	3.4%
1990–1999	11.1%
1980–1989	11.6%
1970–1979	15.9%
1960–1969	8.2%
1950–1959	11.2%
1940–1949	5.5%
1939 or earlier	30.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.4%
1 bedroom	21.0%
2 bedrooms	35.6%
3 bedrooms	28.6%
4 bedrooms	11.9%
5+ bedrooms	1.5%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	11.2%
1 vehicle	37.3%
2 vehicles	39.7%
3 or more	11.7%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	64.4%
Electricity	31.1%
Propane / LP gas	2.3%
Fuel oil	1.2%
Wood	0.2%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,065	31.2%
Cohabiting couple	840	12.7%
Male householder, no spouse	2,074	31.4%
Female householder, no spouse	1,636	24.7%
Households with children under 18	1,283	19.4%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,855	28.0%
Average household size	2.08

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	43.2%	38.7%
Married	34.5%	37.4%
Separated	2.6%	2.1%
Widowed	1.6%	10.2%
Divorced	18.1%	11.5%

Education

Less than 9th grade 1.2%

Some HS, no diploma 4.0%

HS graduate 37.1%

Some college, no degree 21.4%

Associate's degree 12.9%

Bachelor's degree 14.6%

Graduate / professional 8.8%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	94.8%
Bachelor's or higher	23.4%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	226	8.2%
Kindergarten	228	8.3%
Elementary school	909	32.9%
High school	519	18.8%
College / grad school	880	31.9%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 22.0%

Retail trade 16.8%

Manufacturing 14.5%

Arts, food & hospitality 10.6%

Professional & management 10.3%

Other services 6.2%

Construction 4.7%

Finance & real estate 4.7%

Transportation & utilities 3.6%

Wholesale trade 2.7%

Public administration 1.7%

Information 1.2%

Agriculture & mining 0.9%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	28.0%
Service	19.0%
Sales & office	22.9%
Natural resources & construction	8.5%
Production & transportation	21.5%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	88.5%
Government	6.2%
Self-employed	4.9%
Unpaid family workers	0.4%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	71.7%
Carpool	13.5%
Public transit	1.7%
Walk	3.0%
Work from home	7.1%
Other means	3.1%
Avg commute (minutes)	18.6

Poverty

All people 16.1%

Under 18 years 23.1%

18 and over 14.7%

Married-couple families 6.0%

Female-led households 23.2%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	30.9%
Retirement income	22.5%
Supplemental Security	7.5%
Cash public assistance	1.6%
Food stamps / SNAP	18.3%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	33.0%
High blood pressure	28.8%
High cholesterol	31.2%
Diabetes	8.8%
Heart disease	5.6%
Stroke	2.7%
Asthma	9.7%
Arthritis	22.3%
Kidney disease	2.6%
Pulmonary disease	5.9%
Cancer	6.1%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	18.3%
Binge drinking	25.0%
No physical activity	20.8%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	33.5%
Depression	20.7%
Fair or poor health	11.8%
Poor mental health	14.1%
Poor physical health	9.6%
No health insurance	10.5%
Visited doctor (checkup)	73.2%
Visited dentist	68.7%
Cholesterol screening	84.8%
Teeth loss	11.7%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	746	6.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	13.7%
Under 18	0.7%
18–64 years	10.3%
65 and over	41.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	59.5%
Public insurance	42.3%
No insurance	10.3%
Uninsured under 19	3.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	13,111	95.1%
Spanish	214	1.6%
Other Indo-European	42	0.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	22	0.2%
Other languages	150	1.1%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	13,394	97.2%
Born in same state	13,264	96.3%
Born in different state	9,985	72.5%
Foreign born	130	0.9%
Naturalized citizen	386	2.8%
Not a US citizen	225	58.3%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	2,573	18.7%
Polish	2,084	15.1%
French	841	6.1%
Arab	370	2.7%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	146	1.1%
German	110	0.8%
Dutch	85	0.6%
Norwegian	53	0.4%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	48.0%
Internet access	89.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 54603

What city is ZIP code 54603 in?

ZIP code 54603 is primarily assigned to La Crosse, Wisconsin.

What county is ZIP code 54603 in?

ZIP code 54603 falls within La Crosse County, Wisconsin.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 54603?

16% of residents in ZIP code 54603 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 54603?

The median home value in ZIP code 54603 is $164,200.

What is the population of ZIP code 54603?

ZIP code 54603 has an estimated population of 13,780 residents, with a density of 1,556 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 54603?

The median household income in ZIP code 54603 is $52,113, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 54603 in?

ZIP code 54603 observes the CST timezone.