Ruston makes Louisiana’s top 10 on 3 lists
Ruston is ranked on 34 lists against the 163 Louisiana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 7.
Younger than 99% of Louisiana
Not better or worse, just Ruston’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Ruston does best on
Each list ranks every LA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Ruston marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for college degrees
Lists where Ruston sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Ruston lands in the top half on 14 of 23 lists
Each dot is Ruston’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in LA, the right end is last. Areas where Ruston does best come first.
Ruston out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every LA list, and where Ruston lands
36 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Winnsboro · 12.8 min
#5 
People
Most educated#1 Elmwood · 60.6%
#11
Youngest#1 Grambling · 21.2
#2
Oldest#1 Greenwood · 53.5
#162
Most residents 65+#1 Greenwood · 28.9%
#139
Most kids#1 Milton · 37.3%
#156 
Health
Healthiest#1 Elmwood · 80 / 100
#55
Lowest obesity#1 Central · 31%
#58
Fewest smokers#1 Elmwood · 10%
#33
Most active#1 Youngsville · 19%
#53
E
Fewest uninsured#1 Eden Isle · 5%
#45
W
Lowest depression#1 Woodmere · 22%
#144
Closest to a top hospital#1 Mamou · 0.4 mi
#158 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 New Roads · 7%
#89
Most new homes#1 Maurice · 41.3 per 1,000
#27
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Donaldsonville · +44.5%
#35
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Jena · 22.9 per home
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Lutcher · 34.8%
#52
Most trails#1 Donaldsonville · 2.4 mi / sq mi
#37
Most walkable#1 Kaplan · 169 / sq mi
#101 
The number on the right is Ruston’s spot. All of Louisiana’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every LA list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.