La Crosse Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in La Crosse, Wisconsin: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in La Crosse: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in La Crosse spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 109 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting. That is 30% less time on the road than the Wisconsin average of 18.8 minutes each way, a difference of 5.6 minutes.
La Crosse holds about 0.8% of Wisconsin's population but accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in La Crosse would save about 44 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,355 at the same national wage assumption used above.
| Area | One-Way Commute | Daily Round-Trip | Yearly Time Spent | Estimated Yearly Cost | Local Road Traffic (VPD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse | 13.1 min | 26.2 min | 109 hrs/yr | $3,388 | 2,208 |
| Wisconsin | 18.8 min | 37.5 min | 156 hrs/yr | $4,846 | 811 |
| United States | 22.4 min | 44.8 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,790 | 1,355 |
The estimated yearly cost applies a single national rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area - treat it as a rough estimate, not a paycheck figure. Local road traffic counts, vehicles per day on non-highway roads, come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
La Crosse Commute Map
On average, it takes 13.1 minutes to get to work in La Crosse. That's 41% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 12:00 PM – 03:59 PM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 11.4% work from home.
How People Get to Work in La Crosse
- Car: 77.6%
- Worked at Home: 11.4%
- Walked: 6.5%
- Bicycle: 1.6% unusually high
- Public Transportation: 1.6%
- Other: 1.0%
- Motorcycle: 0.2%
- Taxi: < 0.1%
Biking is unusually common in La Crosse: 3.5 times more than the Wisconsin average (1.6% vs 0.5%).
Commute Mode Trends in La Crosse, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in La Crosse get to work, as a share of all workers aged 16 and over, across 16 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) releases from 2009 to 2024. Each release is a 5-year estimate: the 2024 figures cover surveys taken from 2020 to 2024. Because neighboring releases share most of their survey years, the lines move gradually, and a sudden change such as the rise of remote work in 2020 spreads across several releases. Hover over or tap a line to highlight it, and use the legend to show or hide a mode. Driving starts hidden so the smaller modes stay readable.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Walked | Public Transportation | Bicycle | Other | Motorcycle | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 83.0% | 3.6% | 9.0% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 82.9% | 3.7% | 8.6% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 82.8% | 4.3% | 7.7% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 82.4% | 4.2% | 8.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 82.1% | 3.4% | 8.3% | 2.1% | 3.0% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 82.4% | 3.0% | 8.1% | 1.9% | 3.6% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 82.1% | 2.7% | 8.4% | 2.1% | 3.6% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2016 | 81.9% | 2.5% | 9.2% | 2.1% | 3.3% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 82.9% | 2.2% | 9.1% | 1.9% | 3.1% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 83.1% | 2.6% | 9.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 82.9% | 3.0% | 9.1% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 82.6% | 5.1% | 8.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 82.3% | 6.7% | 7.1% | 1.7% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 79.6% | 8.1% | 8.2% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 77.5% | 10.1% | 8.1% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 77.6% | 11.4% | 6.5% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2018 at 83.1% and lowest in 2023 at 77.5%. Overall it fell from 83.0% in 2009 to 77.6% in 2024, down 5.4 percentage points.
Working from home gained the most ground in La Crosse: its share of workers rose from 3.6% in 2009 to 11.4% in 2024, up 7.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 9.0% to 6.5% of workers (down 2.5 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2023 release and has stayed ahead since.
Biking peaked at 3.6% in 2014 and has since fallen back to 1.6%.
Commute Start Times in La Crosse
What Time Do People Leave for Work in La Crosse?
The bars show when commuters in La Crosse leave home for work, as a share of everyone who commutes (people who work from home are not counted), from the 2024 ACS 5-year estimates. The thin violet marks show Wisconsin for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
La Crosse6.8%
Wisconsin6.9%
|
6.8% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
La Crosse2.5%
Wisconsin4.7%
|
2.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
La Crosse4.9%
Wisconsin6.1%
|
4.9% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
La Crosse6.8%
Wisconsin8.5%
|
6.8% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
La Crosse9.1%
Wisconsin10.4%
|
9.1% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
La Crosse11.4%
Wisconsin14.7%
|
11.4% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
La Crosse14.6%
Wisconsin12.7%
|
14.6% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
La Crosse8.1%
Wisconsin9.0%
|
8.1% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
La Crosse3.6%
Wisconsin4.0%
|
3.6% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
La Crosse5.3%
Wisconsin4.7%
|
5.3% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
La Crosse1.8%
Wisconsin2.4%
|
1.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
La Crosse2.6%
Wisconsin1.3%
|
2.6% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
La Crosse14.1%
Wisconsin8.1%
|
14.1% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
La Crosse8.4%
Wisconsin6.4%
|
8.4% |
La Crosse Wisconsin Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in La Crosse is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.7% across Wisconsin. Early starts are less common than in Wisconsin: 14.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 17.7% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Wisconsin: 43.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.8% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (32.2%) leave at 9 AM or later, which usually points to shift work, flexible hours or part-time jobs.
When people leave matters as much as how far they go. Rush-hour traffic shrinks how much ground a 20-minute trip covers, so a trade area drawn as a simple circle often takes in neighborhoods that customers or staff would never drive from and misses others that are an easy trip. A drive-time zone, also called an isochrone, outlines every place within a set number of minutes of an address, which makes it the more honest way to size a store's catchment, a hiring area or the commute from a new home.
See it for yourself on the interactive map: click any spot in La Crosse, pick a 5, 10, 15 or 30-minute drive and see the local demographics of the people who live within that exact drive time.
Is La Crosse Waking Up Earlier? Typical Departure Time, 2009-2024
Each line follows the typical (median) departure time: the moment by which half of commuters have already left home. Higher on the chart means a later start. Setting La Crosse next to Wisconsin and the U.S. shows whether local mornings are drifting earlier or later than everyone else's. The figures span 16 ACS 5-year releases, so changes build up gradually rather than jumping from one year to the next.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | La Crosse | Wisconsin | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 8:04 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 8:05 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 8:08 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 8:17 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 8:09 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 8:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:59 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in La Crosse were on the road by 7:48 AM, 7 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:55 AM). The shift is sharper than across Wisconsin, where the typical start moved 3 minutes earlier. Commuters in La Crosse now leave 10 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in La Crosse has moved 12 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for La Crosse in the whole series.
How does La Crosse's commute time compare?
| Metric | La Crosse | Wisconsin | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 13.1 min | 18.8 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 12:00 PM – 03:59 PM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 11.4% | 13.1% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 6.5% | 2.6% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 1.6% | 1.1% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in La Crosse is 13.1 minutes, shorter than the 18.8 minutes in Wisconsin.
1.6% commute by public transit, higher than the 1.1% in Wisconsin. 6.5% commute by walking, higher than the 2.6% in Wisconsin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
How much does the average commute cost workers in La Crosse, Wisconsin?
Commuters here spend an estimated 109 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,388 at a typical national wage. That's 30% less than the typical Wisconsin commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in La Crosse, Wisconsin?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 12:00 PM – 03:59 PM also sees a secondary bump.