La Crosse leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 77% of adults in La Crosse typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in La Crosse, ~46% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How La Crosse compares
Among cities within 25 miles, La Crosse is the most Democratic-leaning.
La Crosse runs about 21 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and La Crosse sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within La Crosse. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+35) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+7), a spread of about 42 points.
Why La Crosse leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for La Crosse, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 80% of residents in La Crosse live in densely developed areas, about 43 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and La Crosse sits in the top quarter (about 34%, above 80% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in La Crosse have never been married, above 98% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; La Crosse, WI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in La Crosse looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 96% of adults in La Crosse have completed high school, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- French Island, WI R+2
- La Crescent, MN R+4
- Shelby, WI R+4
- Onalaska, WI D+6
- Brownsville, MN R+22
- Stoddard, WI R+19
- St. Joseph, WI R+20
- Hokah, MN R+24
- West Salem, WI R+5
- Holmen, WI R+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Encino, CA D+21
- National City, CA D+24
- Marana, AZ R+9
- Oak Lawn, IL D+2
- La Jolla, CA D+39
- Royal Oak, MI D+32
- Colton, CA D+17
- Stillwater, OK R+6
- Woodbridge, VA D+35
- Carson City, NV R+11
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.