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Place dossier plate
SheetLA-RUSTON-LA · Ruston, LA 22,224 pop · income 3rd pct · 12 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Ruston
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ruston on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Cocoa West · lowest
32,746
Cocoa West · lowest
32,746 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #1
Maynard · near
32,750
Maynard · near
32,750 median HH income
27.7% of the leader · rank #2
Sandyfield · near
32,750
Sandyfield · near
32,750 median HH income
27.7% of the leader · rank #3
Ruston · this city
32,765
Ruston · this city
32,765 median HH income
27.7% of the leader · rank #4
Bruce · near
32,772
Bruce · near
32,772 median HH income
27.7% of the leader · rank #5
Abbeville · near
32,778
Abbeville · near
32,778 median HH income
27.7% of the leader · rank #6
Rancho San Di… · highest
118,431
Rancho San Di… · highest
118,431 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ruston on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 22,224.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Ruston - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Ruston lands in the 3rd percentile for household income and the 12th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
3rd
percentile, household income
50th
percentile, home value
16th
percentile, median rent
12th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Ruston, LA
22,224 people live in Ruston, Louisiana - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Ruston households earn a median of $32,765 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 22.2%. Ruston's housing stock carries a median value of $226,700, and the median resident age is 23.8 years. 42.9% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 50.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 86 residential building permits were authorized in Ruston (Construction Slowdown), down 63% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Ruston's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3382.9 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Louisiana run below the national norm: the state registers 88.2 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,007 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $212 across Louisiana, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Ruston report an average commute of 12.3 minutes, with 72.8% driving alone and 12.8% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 62.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Ruston's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to within-city variation to housing and income to comparison shortlist to reported crime to population change to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ruston, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Ruston?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 42.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
PlainCities matches 12 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
How far does income reach against housing in Ruston?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 22.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Ruston?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Louisiana, the closest population matches are Bayou Cane (22,143 residents, $73,235 income); Chalmette (22,447 residents, $56,875 income); Harvey (21,710 residents, $43,524 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Middleton, WI (22,235 residents); Perry, GA (22,243 residents); Payson, UT (22,205 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Ruston?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3382.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 48% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
3382.9
Violent rate
426.8
Property rate
2956.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +246 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 86 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
22,151
2025 estimate
22,397
Period change
+1.1%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the journey to work look like in Ruston?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 72.8%. The reported mean trip to work is 12.3 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
72.8%
Work from home
12.8%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 9,368 workers age 16+.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 22.2% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
88.2 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Louisiana average
F
City profile score · Ruston, LA
36/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
88.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share B+
42.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
427 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
22.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$32,765
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Ruston profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 92/100 (A+) · 88.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 78/100 (B+) · 42.9%
Violent crime: 21/100 (F) · 427 /100k
Poverty rate: 10/100 (F) · 22.2%
Household income: 0/100 (F) · $32,765
Where Ruston sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Ruston's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Ruston highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Ruston, LA (this city): home $226,700, crime 3,383/100k
Middleton, WI : home $457,400, crime 998/100k
Perry, GA : home $209,300, crime 1,896/100k
Payson, UT : home $388,200, crime 826/100k
Evans, CO : home $326,300, crime 1,925/100k
Sulphur, LA : home $175,200, crime 3,292/100k
Zachary, LA : home $258,000, crime 2,353/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Ruston compare to other US cities?
Where Ruston sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income3% higher than other cities
Home value50% pricier than other cities
Median rent16% pricier than other cities
Safety12% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Louisiana and the picture shifts: Ruston ranks #36 of 60 Louisiana cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Ruston against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Louisiana only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Louisiana-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Ruston near the bottom of Louisiana's cities
Among the 477 Louisiana cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ruston ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ruston only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#343 of 426
19th percentile in Louisiana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 477
0th percentile in Louisiana
Median Home Value
#75 of 419
82nd percentile in Louisiana
Poverty Rate
#153 of 475
68th percentile in Louisiana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#14 of 477
97th percentile in Louisiana
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Louisiana only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
3rd percentile nationally for median household income · 12th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Ruston's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Ruston's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Ruston's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$226,700Among the most affordablemore affordable than 50% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Ruston's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,636 of 15,516
More affordable than 6% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,096 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 6.9×, Ruston sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,636 of 15,516 and #3,096 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$32,765Ruston, LA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ruston, LA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Ruston, LA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)42.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)22.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)50.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
22,224
Median Income
$32,765
Median Home Value
$226,700
Median Age
23.8
Poverty Rate
22.2%
Labor force participation
50.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
42.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3382.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
426.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2956.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ruston's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
22,151 residents
2021
22,287 residents
2022
22,298 residents
2023
22,362 residents
2024
22,365 residents
2025
22,397 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
86
housing units authorized
Single-Family
67
detached homes
Multifamily
19
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
235
85
150
$29.6M
2020
260
92
168
$68.8M
2021
92
54
38
$12.8M
2022
65
63
2
$13.4M
2023
58
58
0
$9.5M
2024
86
67
19
$16.9M
Permit volume decreased 63% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
12.3 minutes
Drive Alone
72.8%
Carpool
9.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
4.2%
Work from Home
12.8%
Based on 9,368 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Louisiana statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $212
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Louisiana at $212 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Louisiana statewide averages, not a meter reading for Ruston. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Louisiana's BEA cost-of-living index is 88.2 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Ruston is $1,007/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Louisiana statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 62.4 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Louisiana statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Ruston sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ruston compares to similar-size Louisiana cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.