Ruston, LA

Census Place

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2023 Population

22,224

0.26% 1-year decline

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

23.8

0.847% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

36.3%

0.285% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$32,765

0.341% 1-year decline

2023 Median Property Value

$226,700

8.99% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

9,668

5.36% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Ruston, LA had a population of 22.2k people with a median age of 23.8 and a median household income of $32,765. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Ruston, LA declined from 22,282 to 22,224, a −0.26% decrease and its median household income declined from $32,877 to $32,765, a −0.341% decrease.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Ruston, LA are White (Non-Hispanic) (46.9%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (42.5%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.94%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (2.17%), and American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (1.67%).

None of the households in Ruston, LA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.2% of the residents in Ruston, LA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Ruston, LA are Louisiana Tech University (2,330 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Ruston, LA was $226,700, and the homeownership rate was 36.7%.

Most people in Ruston, LA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Ruston, LA was 2 cars per household.

United States Louisiana Lincoln Parish, LA Ruston, LA Coordinating & Development Corporation 4--Northwest Louisiana PUMA, LA North Delta Regional Planning & Development District 2--Northeast Louisiana PUMA, LA

Population & Diversity

Ruston, LA is home to a population of 22.2k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 3.18% of Ruston, LA residents were born outside of the country (706 people).

In 2023, there were 1.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.4k people) in Ruston, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.44k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 876 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

98.1%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.2% of Ruston, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Ruston, LA was 98.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Ruston, LA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ruston, LA

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.4k ± 567
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.44k ± 661
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
876 ± 371

2.25%

Hispanic Population

501 people

2.25% of the people in Ruston, LA are hispanic (501 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Ruston, LA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Louisiana.

Most Common Origin

Honduras
36,279 ± 4,658 people
Mexico
23,092 ± 3,722 people
Vietnam
18,064 ± 3,293 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Louisiana was Honduras, the natal country of 36,279 Louisiana residents, followed by Mexico with 23,092 and Vietnam with 18,064.

Foreign-Born Population

3.18%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

706 people

4.7%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

1.05k people

As of 2023, 3.18% of Ruston, LA residents (706 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ruston, LA was 4.7%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Ruston, LA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
121 ± 100
Vietnam
107 ± 104
Gulf War (1990s)
91 ± 92

Ruston, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.13 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Ruston, LA employs 9.67k people. The largest industries in Ruston, LA are Educational Services (2,246 people), Retail Trade (1,567 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,223 people), and the highest paying industries are Finance & Insurance ($69,194), Information ($60,417), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($50,220).

Males in Louisiana have an average income that is 1.52 times higher than the average income of females, which is $49,789. The income inequality in Louisiana (measured using the Gini index) is 0.466, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

9.67k

2023 Value

± 942

−5.36%

1 Year decline

± 14.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Ruston, LA declined at a rate of −5.36%, from 10.2k employees to 9.67k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ruston, LA, are Sales & Related Occupations (1,366 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (1,224 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (941 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ruston, LA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

9.67k

2023 Value

± 942

−5.36%

1 Year decline

± 14.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Ruston, LA declined at a rate of −5.36%, from 10.2k employees to 9.67k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ruston, LA, are Educational Services (2,246 people), Retail Trade (1,567 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,223 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ruston, LA, though some of these residents may live in Ruston, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$23,081

Median earning men ± $3,561

$19,858

Median earning women ± $2,550

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($82,547), Information ($62,333), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($50,838).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($48,967), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($33,250), and Manufacturing ($31,100).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

Y-Axis

1.78%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.94M people employed in Louisiana. This represents a 1.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Louisiana.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Louisiana went to Donald J. Trump with 60.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.2%), followed by Other (0.547%).

Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are the senators currently representing the state of Louisiana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Louisiana is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Ruston, LA. Showing the available data for Louisiana.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (60.2%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.2%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.547%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Louisiana went to Donald J. Trump with 60.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.2%), followed by Other (0.547%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Louisiana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Louisiana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

Bill Cassidy

Senator from Louisiana

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Kennedy

Senator from Louisiana

Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are the senators currently representing Louisiana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Louisiana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Louisiana

Louisiana is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Louisiana have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Ruston, LA awarded 2,330 degrees. The student population of Ruston, LA in 2022 is skewed towards men, with 5,644 male students and 5,195 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ruston, LA are White (1,666 and 75.5%), followed by Black or African American (237 and 10.7%), Hispanic or Latino (117 and 5.3%), and Unknown (82 and 3.71%).

The largest universities in Ruston, LA by number of degrees awarded are Louisiana Tech University (2,330 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Ruston, LA are General Business Administration & Management (323 and 13.9%), General Biological Sciences (135 and 5.79%), and Mechanical Engineering (83 and 3.56%).

The median tuition cost in Ruston, LA for a public four year colleges is $6,401 for in-state students and $13,142 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Ruston, LA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 62.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 37.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 10,839 (52.1% men and 47.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2022 there were 10,839 students enrolled in Ruston, LA, 52.1% men and 47.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,869 records, of which 48.3% were women and 51.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
64 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
132 degrees awarded
Mechanical Engineering
83 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ruston, LA was General Psychology with 64 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Ruston, LA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Louisiana Tech University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

2,330 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Louisiana Tech University with 2,330 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 1,172 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ruston, LA, which is 1.01 times more than the 1,158 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,666 degrees mean that there were 7.03 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 237 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($6,401) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,664) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($900) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

Measure

In 2022, 1.03% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.811% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.2M), Some college (811k), and Secondary Education (604k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ruston, LA was $226,700 in 2023, which is 0.747 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $208,000 to $226,700, a 8.99% increase. The homeownership rate in Ruston, LA is 36.7%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Ruston, LA have an average commute time of 14.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ruston, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Ruston, LA is $32,765. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Ruston, LA was Census Tract 9605 with a value of $59,538, followed by Census Tract 9601 and Census Tract 9606, with respective values of $59,360 and $48,405.

Housing

Property

$226,700

Median Property Value 2023

±$21,705

$3,112

Median Property Taxes

±$436

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Ruston, LA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Ruston, LA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

36.7%

Homeownership

2023

63.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 36.7% of the housing units in Ruston, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 34.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ruston, LA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9605
Census Tract 9601
Census Tract 9606

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Ruston, LA was Census Tract 9605 with a value of $59,538, followed by Census Tract 9601 and Census Tract 9606, with respective values of $59,360 and $48,405.

The following map shows all of the places in Ruston, LA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$32,765

Median Household Income

± $3,951

8.48k

Number of Households

± 856

In 2023, the median household income of the 8.48k households in Ruston, LA declined from $32,765 from the previous year's value of $32,877.

The following chart displays the households in Ruston, LA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Ruston, LA is from Louisiana.

0.466

2022 Wage GINI in Louisiana

0.467

2021 Wage GINI in Louisiana

In 2022, the income inequality in Louisiana was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.313% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Louisiana was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Louisiana in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Louisiana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (72.8%)
Worked At Home (12.8%)
Carpooled (9.85%)

In 2023, 72.8% of workers in Ruston, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.8%) and those who carpooled to work (9.85%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

14.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ruston, LA have a shorter commute time (14.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.49% of the workforce in Ruston, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ruston, LA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Ruston, LA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ruston, LA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

36.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ruston, LA (7.15k out of 19.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Ruston, LA is Black, followed by White and Native American.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

92.5% of the population of Ruston, LA has health coverage, with 43.8% on employee plans, 27.2% on Medicaid, 8.84% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 0.968% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lincoln Parish, LA see 1502 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.398% decrease from the previous year (1508 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2675 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 242 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Lincoln Parish, LA.

1,502 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lincoln Parish, LA

Primary care physicians in Lincoln Parish, LA see an average of 1,502 patients per year. This represents a 0.398% decrease from the previous year (1,508 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Lincoln Parish, LA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.1% under 18 years, 46.4% between 18 and 34 years, 22.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 10.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.4% were men and 52.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.53%

Uninsured

43.8%

Employer Coverage

27.2%

Medicaid

8.84%

Medicare

11.7%

Non-Group

0.968%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ruston, LA declined by 16.4% from 9% to 7.53%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Ruston, LA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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