Demographics of Ruston city, Louisiana

Ruston city, Louisiana had 22,397 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +246 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Ruston city, in four figures

22,397
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 22,284 ±30.; +1.1%
Change since July 2020: +246 people.; 24.3 ±1.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $31,120 ±$1,970
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Ruston city, Louisiana's population grew 1.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Ruston city, Louisiana's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns

About this chart

The figures

Ruston city, Louisiana's population grew 1.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Ruston city, Louisiana's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	22,151	100.0	100.0
2021	22,287	100.6	100.2
2022	22,298	100.7	100.7
2023	22,362	101.0	101.6
2024	22,365	101.0	102.5
2025	22,397	101.1	103.1

Population of Ruston city, Louisiana on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	22,151	—
2021	22,287	+136
2022	22,298	+11
2023	22,362	+64
2024	22,365	+3
2025	22,397	+32

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 24.3 ±1.1: for men 23.4 ±0.9 and for women 25.8 ±2.0. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Ruston city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Louisiana	United States
Under 5	1,178 ±191	5.3% ±0.9	6.2% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,007 ±372	9.0% ±1.7	17.3% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	8,302 ±970	37.3% ±4.4	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,756 ±496	21.3% ±2.2	26.6% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	3,337 ±417	15.0% ±1.9	24.1% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	2,704 ±375	12.1% ±1.7	16.7% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $31,120 ±$1,970, and income per person $21,473 ±$1,882, in 2024 dollars. The median is $60,756 ±$408 in Louisiana and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Ruston city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Louisiana	United States
Under $25,000	3,680 ±648	41.8% ±6.9	22.4% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,141 ±409	24.3% ±4.4	20.2% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,064 ±268	12.1% ±3.0	15.9% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	608 ±215	6.9% ±2.4	11.7% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	637 ±176	7.2% ±2.0	14.8% ±0.3	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	473 ±180	5.4% ±2.0	7.3% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	94 to 292	1.1% to 3.3%	7.8% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Ruston city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Louisiana	United States
All ages	7,888 ±922	39.8% ±4.6	18.9% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,480 ±338	47.2% ±7.8	25.4% ±0.5	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	5,860 ±797	44.6% ±4.7	17.7% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	548 ±178	15.5% ±4.6	15.2% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Ruston city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Ruston city	Louisiana	United States
Housing units	9,563 ±487	2,108,902 ±333	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	92.0% ±3.1	85.6% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	8.0% ±3.0	14.4% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	36.2% ±3.4	67.4% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	63.8% ±4.1	32.6% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$225,300 ±$21,355	$216,500 ±$1,367	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$816 ±$57	$1,064 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1983 ±3	1983 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Ruston city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Louisiana	United States
Hispanic or Latino	417 ±190	1.9% ±0.9	7.2% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	10,522 ±587	47.2% ±2.6	55.7% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	9,631 ±758	43.2% ±3.4	30.5% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	443 ±188	2.0% ±0.8	1.7% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	20 to 576	0.1% to 2.6%	0.4% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 92	0% to 0.4%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 234	0% to 1.1%	0.5% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	829 ±355	3.7% ±1.6	3.8% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Ruston city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Louisiana	United States
Born in the state	16,976 ±640	76.2% ±2.9	77.2% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	4,351 ±552	19.5% ±2.5	17.2% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	10 to 136	< 0.1% to 0.6%	0.7% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	884 ±355	4.0% ±1.6	4.9% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	276 to 882	1.2% to 4.0%	2.0% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	104 to 506	0.5% to 2.3%	2.9% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Ruston city among the places of Louisiana

19th of 102 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the Louisiana page.

Places of Louisiana near Ruston city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Slidell city	28,561 ±54
Laplace CDP	28,343 ±1,162
New Iberia city	27,571 ±54
Terrytown CDP	24,726 ±1,990
Chalmette CDP	22,616 ±1,017
Ruston city	22,284 ±30
Hammond city	21,539 ±38
Bayou Cane CDP	21,253 ±1,683
Harvey CDP	20,915 ±1,637
Sulphur city	20,775 ±30
Zachary city	19,952 ±25

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026