Metro FMR · CBSA 29100 · HUD FY2026

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 7% below the US average.

$889
1-bedroom FMR
$1,166
2-bedroom FMR
-2.5%
YoY change
-7%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,166 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 1% below the US average, lower than 71% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#113
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-1%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$46,640
income to afford it (30% rule)
-2.5%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

La Crosse-Onalaska: #113 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $71,009, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.0% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places La Crosse-Onalaska in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 169,853 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 24.5% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.2%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $998/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,166 runs 16.8% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 41.3% of the 22,549 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$804/mo

13.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$889/mo

15.0% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,166/mo

19.7% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,515/mo

25.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,903/mo

32.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·29100

La Crosse-Onalaska: $889/mo 1BR · #113 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 29100

  • CBSA 29100
  • 1BR-FMR $889
  • 2BR-FMR $1,166
  • RANK-MID #113
  • YOY-DOWN -2.5%
  • VSUS-NEAR -7%
  • IN-ST-LOW #2 WI
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 170K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Appleton
  • VOUCH-90-110 $800–$978
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Appleton ($71 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where La Crosse-Onalaska sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,166 higher than 29% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

What this shows #113 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 1% below the national 2-bedroom average. 113 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 29100

Counties inside La Crosse-Onalaska

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 29100, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($973–$1,166, 20% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

La Crosse County 2BR $1,166 · 120K Vernon County 2BR $973 · 31K Houston County 2BR $1,166 · 19K

La Crosse-Onalaska studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #113 most affordable

1BR $889 (-7% vs US, -2.5% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 29100.

Studio
$804
US avg $893
↓2.1% YoY -10% vs US
1 Bedroom
$889
US avg $959
↓2.5% YoY -7% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,166
US avg $1,175
↓2.6% YoY -1% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,515
US avg $1,525
↓4.1% YoY -1% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,903
US avg $1,756
↓4.4% YoY +8% vs US

How La Crosse-Onalaska compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other WI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows La Crosse-Onalaska highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

La Crosse-Onalaska: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs La Crosse-Onalaska with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside WI (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside WI

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Jackson
MI · 2 BR $1,165/mo
Somerset County
MD · 2 BR $1,167/mo
Kalamazoo-Portage
MI · 2 BR $1,162/mo
Laredo
TX · 2 BR $1,161/mo

Burden % · outside WI

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Ogden
UT · 19.7% of income · 2 BR $1,614/mo
Evansville
IN · 19.7% of income · 2 BR $1,113/mo
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
NC · 19.7% of income · 2 BR $1,358/mo
Omaha-Council Bluffs
NE · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $1,368/mo

La Crosse-Onalaska: quick answers

What is the average rent in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area is $889 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,166 and a studio is $804.
How does La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 7% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $889 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does La Crosse-Onalaska rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,166 ranks #113 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the La Crosse-Onalaska metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 29100, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $973–$1,166 for a 2-bedroom (20% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is La Crosse-Onalaska's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 24.5% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.2%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare La Crosse-Onalaska vs Appleton →

What this means for renters

Treat La Crosse-Onalaska's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $889 implies about $35,560/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how La Crosse-Onalaska stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Appleton
  • See where La Crosse-Onalaska ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 3 counties; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $889/mo · 1BR WI

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.