What it's like to live in Ruston
Ruston is a small city in Louisiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ruston deals with household incomes below the national average, hospital ratings below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
How Ruston compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Ruston
Based on Ruston's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,632
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $32,640 a year
- 58% of Ruston renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$45,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,530
- Homes cost 7.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 42% below US
$816/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $816 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $225,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $225,300 · 58% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lincoln Parish is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lincoln Parish (county-wide)
Safety▼ 13% below US
286 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 3500/100k · Ruston Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 42% below US
15 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 15.1 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 12% above US
40% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 40% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Cane River Creole National Historical Park (64 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Ruston's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and hospital ratings below the national average. A year of median rent ($816/mo) equals 31% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, people who want short commutes, and college-educated professionals.
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