71270 — Ruston, Louisiana
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 71270. Its median household income runs 18% above Ruston as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 12 sourcesUnemployment is 4.5% and median household income $36,791, putting employment conditions in the middle range of ZIP areas measured. The unemployment rate is published for Ruston, LA, which contains 71270, rather than for 71270 alone.
In the public schools here, 67% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 12.6 students for every teacher.
Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 128 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 75% on the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Ruston, LA, which contains 71270, rather than for 71270 alone.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Ruston, LA, which contains 71270, is 4.5% — higher than in all but 44% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment across Ruston, LA, which contains 71270, fell 0.2% over the past year, to 20,892 employed residents.
38% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 78% of measured US ZIP areas.
Median household income of $36,791 is lower than in 96% of measured US ZIP areas.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsLincoln Parish, LA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $42,558 | 2nd percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftLincoln Parish, LA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $43,044 | 1st percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$3,2532024 ACS 5-Year | $36,791 | Bottom 4%of 31,049 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,5082024 ACS 5-Year | $25,231 | Bottom 13%of 32,822 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.0% | Bottom 7%of 32,846 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.1 min | Top 11%of 32,887 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 38.4% | Top 22%of 33,193 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 79.2% | 63rd percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentRuston, LA’s figureJuly 2026 | 20,892 | Bottom 21%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Ruston, LA’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.4% | Top 41%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Ruston, LA’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.2% | Top 40%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceRuston, LA’s figureJuly 2026 | 21,875 | 20th percentileof 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 70.1% | Bottom 24%of 32,883 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Ruston, LA’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.3% | Top 38%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateRuston, LA’s figureJuly 2026 | 4.5% | Bottom 44%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.3% | 48th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Ruston, LA, the city containing this ZIP code.
67% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 75% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 12.6 students for every full-time teacher across 8 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston High School | Lincoln Parish | 1,212 | 12.6 | 79% | 89% |
| Ruston Junior High School | Lincoln Parish | 585 | 13.6 | 59% | 72% |
| Glen View Elementary School | Lincoln Parish | 438 | 11.2 | — | — |
| Cypress Springs Elementary School | Lincoln Parish | 369 | 11.9 | 55% | 64% |
| Ruston Elementary School | Lincoln Parish | 359 | 11.2 | 68% | 65% |
| Hillcrest Elementary School | Lincoln Parish | 326 | 13.6 | — | — |
| I.A. Lewis School | Lincoln Parish | 277 | 12.6 | 61% | 56% |
| Howard School | Howard School | 75 | 25.0 | 25% | 37% |
58.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Louisiana’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Louisiana is up 25% over five years, and up 0.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,195 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.54% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $881, close to the $827 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $881 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $35,200 a year, about 96% of the median household income here of $36,791.
The typical renter household here spends 45% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $827 a month.
A median home at $222,300 costs 3.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $72,686, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against 71270’s median household income of $36,791, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Louisiana’s figure2026 Q2 | +0.8% | 15th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Louisiana’s figure2026 Q2 | +25.3% | 8th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Louisiana’s figure2026 Q2 | +43.1% | 2nd percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.52024 ACS 5-Year | 3.1 | Bottom 38%of 29,275 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 50.0% | 9th percentileof 32,750 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±5572024 ACS 5-Year | 14,553 | 91st percentileof 33,460 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $695 | Top 2%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,156 | Top 2%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $881 | Top 2%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$602024 ACS 5-Year | $827 | Top 28%of 26,396 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$14,5722024 ACS 5-Year | $222,300 | 51st percentileof 30,812 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1392024 ACS 5-Year | $1,195 | 25th percentileof 28,935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$10,5262024 ACS 5-Year | $72,686 | Bottom 34%of 29,802 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.54% | 16th percentileof 24,099 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 45.2% | Bottom 5%of 26,247 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±32024 ACS 5-Year | 1 | 32nd percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 31st percentileof 32,961 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.4% | 68th percentileof 32,788 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±3742024 ACS 5-Year | 1,511 | 94th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 128 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 8% are in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Ruston, LA, which contains 71270, rather than for 71270 alone.
At 5.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Ruston, LA, which contains 71270, rather than for 71270 alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Ouachita Parish, LA 292 people · 14% of arrivals
- Union Parish, LA 177 people · 8.3% of arrivals
- Jackson Parish, LA 134 people · 6.3% of arrivals
- Caddo Parish, LA 92 people · 4.3% of arrivals
- Bienville Parish, LA 89 people · 4.2% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Ouachita Parish, LA 330 people · 15% of departures
- Jackson Parish, LA 140 people · 6.3% of departures
- Union Parish, LA 117 people · 5.3% of departures
- Bossier Parish, LA 96 people · 4.3% of departures
- Caddo Parish, LA 96 people · 4.3% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Lincoln Parish, LA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Ruston, LA, the city containing this ZIP code.
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 92°F and January a low of 35°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 55.6 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 55.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 0.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 35°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 92°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 36°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 31% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, hail, inland flooding, wildfire, drought, winter weather, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 71270 (Lincoln Parish) rather than 71270 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Ruston carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Shreveport Rgnl at 69 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 83.0% | Bottom 24%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 69 mi | Bottom 6%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 9%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.2% | Bottom 25%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shreveport Rgnl | SHV | 69 mi | 8,348 ft |
| Alexandria Intl | AEX | 81 mi | 9,352 ft |
| Greenville Mid-Delta | GLH | 118 mi | 8,001 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | April 2025 to March 2026; March 2025 to February 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
71270 vs Ruston
How this ZIP area compares with Ruston as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.