Population
165 residents
Census ACS 2023 - California
City profile · California · Census ACS 2023
Ruth, CA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Ruth - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 165
- Residents
- $1,202
- Median rent (state)
Ruth - the verdict
165 people call Ruth, California home. Source: Census ACS.
- 36th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Ruth, CA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 165 residents in Ruth, a small town within California. The median resident age is 66.9 years. 24.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 30.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,202 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 79.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average
How does Ruth compare to other US cities?
Here's how Ruth stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 36% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Ruth's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in California, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Ruth in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 24.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 30.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
165
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
66.9
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
30.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.8%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
24.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 50 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for California - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month
Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a California state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Ruth sits in
Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,202/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
79.5 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in California
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Ruth's 165 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Ruth compares to nearby California cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Ruth (this city) | 165 | N/A |
| Desert Center | 167 | $72,857 |
| Hardwick | 167 | N/A |
| Samoa | 163 | $44,569 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Ruth, CA?
What is the population of Ruth, CA? +
Ruth, CA has a population of 165 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Ruth? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Ruth; the closest available measure is the California state average, a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within California vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities EditorialEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.