Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ruston grades D overall, ranked 134th of 161 in Louisiana, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 64 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $31K, and 40% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, its schools outperform 87% of the state's. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Ruston, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On cost of living, just 9 of Louisiana’s 253 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Ruston High School and Downtown Ruston Historic District.
Where Ruston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Federal Building
Census counts: 767 in 1890, 22,166 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
21 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Ruston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ruston, 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 Ruston.
Ruston carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding), is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Grambling and beyond.
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $230K.
Its public schools are run by the Lincoln Parish school district. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 585 | B− |
| Ruston High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,212 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
13,465 jobs are based in Ruston, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.1 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
42% of Ruston’s working residents work right in town. Ruston’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Only 9 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Ruston.
| Ruston | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 42% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $31,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 5.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 1,031 to 847 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Ruston is 35 per 1,000 residents. Ruston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less. The violent crime rate in Ruston is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Ruston | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 35 per 1,000 residents | 23.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 689 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ruston’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Louisiana it is healthier than 66% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Ruston beats the Louisiana average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 23% of Ruston adults report frequent mental distress. Among 161 Louisiana towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Ruston.
| Ruston | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Ruston | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.9% | 29.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 17.2% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7.3 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Elmore D. Mayfield Park, at 46 acres.
| Ruston | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huckleberry Trails Park | 0.7 mi | 19 |
| 2. R. L. Cook Park | 0.6 mi | 18 |
| 3. Greenwood Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
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°.
Among 162 Louisiana towns, just 4 have a lower January low than Ruston. Ruston has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Ruston | 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
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 83% of Louisiana towns, with expected losses of about $203 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1989, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ruston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 54.8% across Louisiana.
36% of households own their home in Ruston. The typical Ruston home is worth about $230,000, up 2.3% in a year, 7% above the Louisiana typical home.
| Ruston | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 36% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $816 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ruston. Close and well known come first.
31 mi Ancient siteWatson Brake
17 mi MountainDriskill Mountain
34 mi MuseumChennault Aviation and Military Museum
in town TheatreDixie Center for the Arts
in town GardenLouisiana Tech University Arboretum
29 mi GardenBiedenharn Museum and GardensWatson Brake: Herb Roe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Driskill Mountain: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chennault Aviation and Military Museum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dixie Center for the Arts: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Louisiana Tech University Arboretum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Biedenharn Museum and Gardens: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ruston
College town 30 of every 100 Ruston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
21 places in Ruston on the National Register of Historic Places.
36 notable people were born in Ruston.
City in Louisiana, United States
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The 2020 population was 22,166. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex region and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Ruston is the principal city of the Ruston micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Lincoln Parish.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ruston.
Grambling reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Ruston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ruston grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #134 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades C− for health, D for safety and A for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 49% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
36 notable people were born here, including Aaron Holiday and Gilbert Gray.
