akashic
1876–2024
Ruston·Louisiana

Ruston moved 12.0 points toward the Republican candidate between 2020 and 2024.

20082024·5 elections
LA
Ruston
HarrisD+1.4
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala HarrisDemocratic49.9%3,242
Donald TrumpRepublican48.5%3,154
OtherAll other candidates1.6%107
D+60
R+60
1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 2008 to 2024. Most recent: +1.4% in 2024.flipped D · 2012+1.4%DR20082024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
2008−0.3%
2012+5.9%
2016+8.3%
2020+13.4%
2024+1.4%
DemocraticRepublican
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
D
49.9%Harris3,242
48.5%Trump3,154
1.6%
+1.4%
6,503
D
55.3%Biden3,629
42.0%Trump2,752
2.7%incl. Jorgensen
+13.4%
6,558
D
50.9%Clinton3,530
42.6%Trump2,957
6.4%incl. Johnson
+8.3%
6,934
D
52.9%Obama3,718
47.1%Romney3,306
0.0%
+5.9%
7,024
R
49.0%Obama3,631
49.4%McCain3,655
1.6%
−0.3%
7,404

Demographics

Demographic profile

Demographic Profile

Key indicators compared across containing geographies

Demographic Profile. Key indicators compared across containing geographies. ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error. Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.
IndicatorRustonCityLouisianaStateUnited StatesNation
Race & Ethnicity
White47.7%56.9%61.0%
Black43.2%30.7%12.2%
Asian2.0%1.7%6.0%
Two or more races4.6%7.4%12.6%
Other race2.4%3.2%8.2%
Hispanic or Latino1.9%7.2%19.3%
Income & Age
Median household income$31,120$60,756$84,427
Poverty rate39.8%19.0%12.5%
Median age24.33839.1
Age 18–2425.3%9.1%9.2%
Age 65 and older14.2%16.8%17.2%
Education & Language
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)36.2%27.1%35.6%
Speaks a non-English language at home4.5%8.5%22.3%
Spanish1.8%4.7%13.6%
Other Indo-European1.1%0.5%2.0%
Ancestry
Largest ancestryAmerican 16.3%French 9.6%German 12.5%
2nd-largest ancestryEnglish 10.9%American 7.4%Mexican 11.3%
3rd-largest ancestryIrish 6.8%English 7.3%English 9.5%
Religion
Catholic2.3%County context26.8%18.6%
Evangelical Protestant38.1%County context25.0%16.5%
Unaffiliated or unclaimed45.5%County context36.8%51.5%
Mainline Protestant6.4%County context3.6%5.2%
Black Protestant5.8%County context5.4%2.2%

ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error.

Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the origins and ancestries reported within it.
Reported ancestry · ACS B04006
American
16.3%
English
10.9%
Irish
6.8%
German
5.8%
French
3.4%
Italian
2.1%
Scottish
2.0%
Scotch-Irish
0.7%
Reported ancestry · ACS B04006
African American identity is recorded by the ACS race question; the ancestry item enumerates specific African and Caribbean ancestries only.
African
0.4%
Nigerian
0.2%
The ACS does not publish subgroup detail for people reporting two or more races.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and other single-race responses combined.
Detailed group · ACS B02015
Vietnamese
0.3%
Pakistani
0.2%
Specific origin · ACS B03001
Mexican
2.8%
Colombian
0.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Race shares: B02001 · B03003. Subgroup detail: B03001 (Hispanic or Latino specific origin), B02015 (Asian groups), B02020 · B02016 (American Indian/Alaska Native tribes and Pacific Islander groups), B04006 (reported ancestry). Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so group shares can total more than 100%. All subgroup rows are shares of total population; ancestry is self-reported and multiple-response, so rows do not sum to the parent group's share.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.5%
speak English only
Spanish1.8%
Other Indo-European1.1%
Other languages0.5%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)0.3%
Vietnamese0.3%
German or other West Germanic0.2%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)0.2%
Korean0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Evangelical Protestant
38.1%
Mainline Protestant
6.4%
Black Protestant
5.8%
Catholic
2.3%
Other Christian
0.9%
Latter-day Saints
0.8%
Muslim
0.2%
Unaffiliated or not counted45.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. The unaffiliated-or-not-counted share is everyone not claimed as an adherent by any reporting body — uncounted congregations as well as the religiously unaffiliated.

Ruston sits in the Gulf South. In 2024 it voted Democratic.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 13.4 points in 2020 and a Republican high of 0.3 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 12.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 1.4 points.

A population of 22,284, a 48% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $31,120 describe the city.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Ruston, Louisiana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/city/2266655/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Ruston, Louisiana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Ruston, Louisiana voted Democratic by 1.4 points (D+1.4), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 6,503 votes cast, 3,242 went Democratic and 3,154 went Republican.
What is Ruston, Louisiana's political typology?
Akashic places Ruston, Louisiana in the "" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the city has voted Democratic 4 times, Republican 1 times, and other 0 times.
When did Ruston, Louisiana last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Ruston, Louisiana voted Republican was 2008.
How many people live in Ruston, Louisiana?
Ruston, Louisiana has a population of 22,284 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Ruston, Louisiana?
Median household income in Ruston, Louisiana is $31,120 — below the national median of $80,734. The Louisiana state median is $60,756.
What is the political history of Ruston, Louisiana?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Ruston, Louisiana from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 1 went Republican. The city's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.