Ruston is a medium-sized city located in the state of Louisiana. With a population of 22,295 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Ruston is the 19th largest community in Louisiana.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 12.36% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Ruston is also a major college town with a large number of people who are 18 years or older and attending college. As is often the case in college towns, the many students that live in Ruston have a strong influence on the local culture and entertainment scene, which may seem dormant by comparison in the summer months when much of the student population is away. In the fall, the return of students has a reinvigorating effect on the community. Because colleges are lasting institutions, they have a stabilizing effect on the economy by providing direct local benefits such as jobs for faculty and staff and spending by students. Ruston’s economy is one such example of this.

Ruston, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Ruston spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.48 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

As is often the case in a small city, Ruston doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Ruston is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 41.98% of adults in Ruston have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Ruston in 2018 was $21,292, which is lower middle income relative to Louisiana, and low income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $85,168 for a family of four. However, Ruston contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Ruston also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 36.17% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Ruston is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ruston home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ruston residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Ruston include English, Irish, German, French, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Ruston is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Other Asian languages.