Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in La Crosse, WI (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

La Crosse, Wisconsin has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. La Crosse has a population of about 51,791. Median household income is $53,803 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Information Security Analyst at a median $106,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to La Crosse

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near La Crosse. Distances are calculated from La Crosse city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from La Crosse. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Wisconsin schools on the Wisconsin criminal justice page.

Criminal Justice Wages Near La Crosse

La Crosse is part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro area (BLS area code 29100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Wisconsin statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$104,910	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$114,281
Judge or Magistrate	$76,620	WI statewide	$83,464
Police Supervisor	$95,000	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$103,486
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$91,040	WI statewide	$99,172
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$74,050	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$80,664
Correctional Officer	$59,670	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$65,000
Probation Officer	N/A	WI statewide	–
Forensic Science Technician	$72,280	WI statewide	$78,736
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$49,720	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$54,161
Information Security Analyst	$106,190	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$115,675

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

La Crosse at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	51,791	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$53,803	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	34.8%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	91.8 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other La Crosse-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Winona, MN – 27.0 mi away (30,208 pop)
Rochester, MN – 63.6 mi away (114,976 pop)
Eau Claire, WI – 70.1 mi away (106,681 pop)
Wisconsin Rapids, WI – 79.9 mi away (28,406 pop)
Austin, MN – 87.8 mi away (25,105 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near La Crosse, WI?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near La Crosse. The closest is Western Technical College in La Crosse, WI (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (27.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near La Crosse?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near La Crosse are: Information Security Analyst ($106,190), Attorney ($104,910), Police Supervisor ($95,000). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Wisconsin statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Winona instead of La Crosse?

Winona, MN is 27.0 miles from La Crosse and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is La Crosse an affordable place to study criminal justice?

La Crosse’s median household income of $53,803 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in La Crosse while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Wisconsin public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in La Crosse

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for La Crosse:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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