ZIP Code 54603 — La Crosse city, WI Demographics & Data

ZIP code 54603 covers La Crosse, WI in La Crosse County with a population of about 14,181.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 37.2 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 608; U.S. House district WI-3; the LA CROSSE - EAU CLAIRE media market.

Median household income in ZIP 54603 is about $49,693 — about 34% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 18.2%; unemployment rate near 6.2%; 20.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 12.8 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Retail trade; about 10.8% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 4.4 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $175,500 — about 50% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $813 (about 30% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 51.0% (about 14.4 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 54603 in La Crosse, WI, a household would need roughly $48,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,127. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($49,693). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for La Crosse city, WI as Relatively Low (composite score 80.5), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (74.0) and wildfire (11.8). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for La Crosse city, WI show little to no average snow and around 35.2 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 827 for ZIP 54603 (La Crosse city, WI) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.