Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,314, settled in 1906. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Grambling grades C+ overall, ranked 42nd of 161 in Louisiana, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 87% of Louisiana towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, the median household income is n/a, and 52% of residents live below the poverty line. 52% of residents live below the poverty line in Grambling, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 21 of Louisiana’s 255 towns do better. Grambling is home to Grambling State University.
Where Grambling beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Preparatory School | PK–12 | 684 |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Grambling State University | 3,740 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Grambling is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,144 in 1960, 5,239 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grambling, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Grambling.
Grambling carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding), is shaped by its college students and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Louisiana.
37.9% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.8% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 31.2% of households own their home, against 67.4% across Louisiana.
Grambling’s median age is 21.2 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 56% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 14% of residents (37% statewide). 11% of residents are 65 or older in Grambling.
| Grambling | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 21.2 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 20% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.8 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 92% are women (LA 51%).
| Grambling | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 45.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.9% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 2.9% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 3.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.8% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.7% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.7% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.2% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Lincoln Preparatory School, with 684 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Preparatory SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 684 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Within Louisiana it is healthier than 71% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
26% of Grambling adults report frequent mental distress. Of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Grambling. 28% of Grambling adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Grambling | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 20% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 42% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 37% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 26% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grambling | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 2.6% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.7% | 29.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 24.8% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
24.6% of workers work from home, against 8.1% across Louisiana.
Most working residents leave Grambling for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Grambling is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Grambling has lost 157 jobs, to 801 in 2023.
| Grambling | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
78.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 54.8% across Louisiana. The median property tax bill is $416, against $1,180 across Louisiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Grambling home is worth about $161,000, up 6.6% in a year, 25% below the Louisiana typical home. Only 2 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Grambling.
| Grambling | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 31% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $709 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 89% of Louisiana towns, with expected losses of about $346 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2016, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grambling.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Ruston La Tech weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 248 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 80% of Louisiana places with climate records. January nights average 34.9°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 96% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.5°.
Grambling has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Only 4 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower January low than Grambling. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Grambling | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 42°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 51 of its 3,804 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Grambling itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Grambling | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grambling City Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grambling. Close and well known come first.
13 mi MountainDriskill Mountain
35 mi Ancient siteWatson Brake
38 mi MuseumChennault Aviation and Military Museum
34 mi GardenBiedenharn Museum and Gardens
4 mi GardenLouisiana Tech University Arboretum
4 mi TheatreDixie Center for the ArtsDriskill Mountain: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Watson Brake: Herb Roe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chennault Aviation and Military Museum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Biedenharn Museum and Gardens: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Louisiana Tech University Arboretum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dixie Center for the Arts: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Grambling
College town 38 of every 100 Grambling residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
Where Grambling’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 notable people were born in Grambling.
City in Louisiana, United States
Grambling is a city in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,239 in 2020. The city is home to Grambling State University and is part of the Ruston micropolitan statistical area. Grambling was designated a "city" in the early 1990s (either in 1992 or 1993), but was erroneously considered a "town" during the 2000 census. The city is named after P. G. Grambling.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Grambling.
Grambling reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Grambling with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grambling grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #42 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades C− for health and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($39,172 across the Ruston, LA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
6 notable people were born here, including Edward Haygood Adams and Jophery Brown.
