Methodology Suggests La Crosse Not Really Near Bottom in Poverty

Being the second poorest county in the state sure looks bad on paper.  But that might not be the whole story from a new UW report which puts La Crosse at that level.  Researchers say La Crosse’s real poverty level, based on the so-called Wisconsin Poverty Measure is nearly as bleak as Milwuakee county; close to 18%.  But the report also measures only the state’s largest 13 counties individually.  Other counties are clumped into groups in order to come up with a statistically significant sample.  Which means an eight county area that surrounds La Crosse is measured as one group, appearing lower than the state’s overall poverty measure.  Another, 10 county area in the northwest part of the state is also measured in just one group.  And the state’s traditionally poorest county, Menomenee, doesn’t look nearly so hard up when it’s lumped into the same group with better off counties like Green Lake and Waupaca.