Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ruston’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and incomes and an A− for health; its weakest is a D− for safety. Ruston’s median rent is $2,598 a month, against $1,739 a month in Washington’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Only 7 of Washington’s 395 towns score lower on cost of living. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Winnifred Street Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ruston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ruston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Ruston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 780 in 1910, 1,055 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 5 maps from 1953 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ruston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
6 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
22 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
23 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Ruston.
At 7.6 per 1,000 residents, Ruston’s violent crime rate is where Washington’s towns sit at 1.5 and U.S. towns at 1.6. The property crime rate in Ruston is 24.9 per 1,000 residents. Ruston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
| Ruston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.9 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Ruston beats the Washington average on 11 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 15% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ruston.
| Ruston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 71% | 79% |
| What stands out | Ruston | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Ruston home is worth about $748,000, up 4.1% in a year, 27% above the Washington typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ruston has mild winters and pleasant summers. Ruston’s July high is 77°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Ruston for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Ruston has added 153 jobs, to 627 in 2023. The top destinations are Tacoma (34%), Seattle (10%) and Lakewood (6%).
| Ruston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Ruston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rust Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
10 within 15 miles of the center of Ruston
About 2 of every 100 Ruston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
City in Washington, United States
Ruston is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,055 at the 2020 census. Although it is nearly indistinguishable from the adjacent city of Tacoma, the predominantly residential area still retains its status as a separate municipality long after it ceased to be a company town. The local government opted to reclassify Ruston as a city in late 2012.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
