Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Louisiana
Clothing and shoe stores in the Ruston, LA area
The clothing and shoe stores in the Ruston, LA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #521 of 536 scored small-town markets
#7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 55
- 18 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- −16.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $29M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,567 a household
- Spending per listing
- $527K
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.8
- 84% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,360
- +0.1% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Ruston area
The site report maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Ruston area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
For clothing and shoe stores, the Ruston area has a Groundwork market score of 15 (low): #521 of 536 scored small-town markets and #7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 55 clothing and shoe stores in the Ruston area. 18 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 29.8, 84% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Households in the Ruston area spend about $29M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,567 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That is about $527K of household spending for each store on map listings, 59% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Ruston area was 20 in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 924 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Ruston area grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Ruston area compares
The same measures for Louisiana and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the clothing and shoe stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Ruston area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.8 | 20.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $527K | $855K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 924 | 1,057 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.7% | −12.9% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,567 | $1,761 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $39,172 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 9 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20−16.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 177
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 53Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5518 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Ruston area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Ruston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,360+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 18,487
- Median age
- 32.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 472 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $39,172+10.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,113
- Median home value
- $210,100
- Jobs located here
- 18,570
- Daytime population
- 48,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ruston area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the clothing and shoe stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Ruston area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing and shoe stores across Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Louisiana for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Louisiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ruston area marked.
Top small-town markets in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeRidder, LA | 58 | 22 | 16.0 | $1.1M | +0.2% | #207 of 536 |
| 2Bogalusa, LA | 42 | 25 | 14.1 | $1.1M | −0.9% | #336 of 536 |
| 3Morgan City, LA | 37 | 23 | 12.5 | $1.3M | −5.3% | #383 of 536 |
| 4Opelousas, LA | 35 | 44 | 13.7 | $1.1M | −1.9% | #401 of 536 |
| 5New Iberia, LA | 30 | 41 | 15.3 | $1.1M | −4.6% | #440 of 536 |
| 6Natchitoches, LA | 24 | 21 | 14.5 | $1.1M | −3.5% | #479 of 536 |
| Natchez, MS-LA | 20 | 44 | 21.2 | $719K | −0.9% | #506 of 536 |
| 7Ruston, LA | 15 | 55 | 29.8 | $527K | +0.1% | #521 of 536 |
| 8Minden, LA | 14 | 31 | 21.6 | $692K | −5.2% | #522 of 536 |
Other business types in the Ruston area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry17
- Clothing and shoe stores15
- Laundromats
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Ruston, LA area?
The Ruston area has 55 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 18 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 53 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Ruston, LA area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $29M a year, or $1,567 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $527K per store. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,487 households in the Ruston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ruston, LA area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Ruston area has 29.8 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 84% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $527K, 59% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Ruston area would have about 23, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 924 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ruston, LA area growing?
Population estimates put the Ruston area at 48,360 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,487 households. The median household income in the Ruston area is $39,172 a year, 51% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 10.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Ruston area scores 15 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #521 of 536 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ruston area. It maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for clothing and shoe stores · All 56 business types in the Ruston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ruston area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Ruston area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.