Page 31 - 2015 Compass Now

Figure 7 shows how COMPASS NOW 2015 respondents rated their access to healthy food choices. La Crosse
County respondents rated this highest on average, with a score of 3.48 points out of 4. In general, 88% of
Great Rivers Region respondents rated access to healthy food choices as good or excellent.

Figure 7: Access to Healthy Food Choices

Access to Healthy Food Choices: Access to Healthy Food Choices:
Median Score Percent of Respondents

3.48 3.34 Poor/Fair
12%
3.11 3.29 3.25

3.03

Good COMMUNITY
40%

Excellent
48%

La Crosse
TrempMeoalneraoue

Vernon
Houston
Region

Scale: 1=Poor, 2=Fair, 3=Good, 4=Excellent

Source: COMPASS NOW 2015 Random Household Survey

The safety of our communities

There are several ways to examine the safety of our communities. We can examine property crime rates
or person-to-person crime rates. Deterrence to crime based on law enforcement presence is also critical.
How safe we feel our community is and how much we trust one another to watch out for each other are also
important when considering public safety. Property crimes, or property offenses, include burglary, theft,
arson, motor vehicle theft, and criminal damage to property. These types of crimes do not involve face-to-
face confrontation between a perpetrator and a victim. Crime rate levels are dependent upon the willingness
of victims to report crimes and are generally higher in more populated areas. Table 2 shows the number of
property offenses in the Great Rivers Region from 2008 to 2012. Houston County saw the largest decrease
from 207 total property offenses in 2008 to only 48 in 2012.

COMPASS NOW 2015 23