The Challenge
These are compilations of statistics, designed to make it relatively easy to find numbers of interest, and selected for their offering at local geographies like a city or a metropolitan area. (Statistics at the state or national level tend to be more readily available.)
Ideally you can use these sources to find La Crosse City or Metropolitan area data, but sometimes you may have to settle for County level data.
Another challenge is that most of these sources compile data from a relatively brief time period. If you want to compare data from two times 50 years apart, you may have to use two different sources -- which may not provide directly-comparable statistics.
Commercial Databases
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowSocial Explorer allows researchers to create dynamic maps and customizable reports using data from sources including: U.S. Decennial Census (1790- ), American Community Survey (2005- ), FBI crime data (2010- ), Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, religion data (1980- ), health data (2010- ), County Business Patterns (2014- ) and more.
suggestion: start with Tables
- Data Planet (Sage) This link opens in a new windowThe Data-Planet repository contains datasets from public, commercial, and nongovernmental organizations in the United States and around the world. Subjects covered include business, political science, demography, agriculture, education, criminal justice, housing and construction, labor and employment, energy, and more.
suggestion: start with Geography (La Crosse)
- Data Axle Reference Solutions This link opens in a new windowCollection of three databases containing business, consumer, and job listings. The U.S. Businesses Database includes profiles for millions of businesses in the United States, and has an advanced search tool that includes fields such as company name, SIC/NAICS code, and business size. The U.S. Consumers / Lifestyles Database can be used to research a community before opening a business or to target a marketing campaign to a particular population. The U.S. Jobs / Internships Database allows for searching by job title, location, salary estimate, and more.
Published Commercially
Profiles of Wisconsin by Call Number: HA711 .P76 Reference2019 (5th ed) in Reference;
2007,2013, 2016 in Reference Compact
Produced Locally
This is a set of books available on the shelves at the library, both in the 2nd floor stacks and in Special Collections. (They are not available to access online.)
La Crosse Area Economic Indicators by Publication Date: 1966-19902nd Floor Stacks:
HB3730 .L142 (1984-1990)
HB3730 .L14 (1982-1983)
HB3730 .E24 (1977-1981)
HB3730 .E239 (1966/76)
Produced by the State of WI
Wisconsin Blue Book by current ed. at JK6031 Ready Reference
1871- at Government Documents Wisconsin (basement) A.1:
1863- (most issues) also at Special Collections Rare Books JK6031
also ONLINE- Tabular statements of the census.. (Wisconsin)Call Number: A.2/1: Govt Documents Wisconsin (basement)Publication Date: 1885, 1895, 1905also ONLINE (Hathi Trust)
- WisConomyfrom the Department of Workforce Development. Most data is current only, but there is some historical data, including in the Workforce Profile for La Crosse County. Also try the Data Search.
Produced by the Federal Government
- Economic CensusGuide from the Library of Congress. This page provides a detailed account of the various Economic Censuses conducted by the Federal government through history, and also serves as a gateway to those volumes are have been scanned and are available online.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - TablesFrom the BLS. Annual Metropolitan area tables include the La Crosse area back to 1997.
County and City Data Book by
This link opens in a new window
Call Number: C 3.134/2:C 83/2/ Govt Documents Federal (basement)ISBN: 97801607959851949-2007;
also ONLINE (Hathi Trust)
State and Metropolitan Area Data Book by Call Number: HA202 .S84 Referencecurrent ed. in reference;
1979-2010 at C 3.134/5: Govt Documents Federal (basement);
also ONLINE (Hathi Trust)
