Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · Louisiana
Hair salons in the Ruston, LA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in the Ruston, LA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #492 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 49
- 12 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $13.2M
- On personal care products and services · $715 a household
- Spending per listing
- $270K
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.5
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,360
- +0.1% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in the Ruston area
The site report maps the hair salons 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
The Ruston area scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #492 of 538 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.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 49 hair salons in the Ruston area. 12 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 26.5, 13% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Households in the Ruston area spend about $13.2M a year on personal care products and services, or $715 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. Spread across 49 hair salons, that is $270K per salon, 37% below the U.S. figure of $430K. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which hair salons share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in the Ruston area classed as beauty salons. That is one for every 3,081 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Ruston area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, 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 personal care products and services by the hair salons 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 | 26.5 | 24.4 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $270K | $339K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,081 | 2,582 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $715 | $826 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $39,172 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 13
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $218K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 155Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4912 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 beauty salons 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 hair salons 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 cardHair salons across Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Louisiana for hair salons, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natchez, MS-LA | 48 | 34 | 16.4 | $426K | −0.9% | #293 of 538 |
| 1Bogalusa, LA | 45 | 25 | 14.1 | $504K | −0.9% | #321 of 538 |
| 2DeRidder, LA | 43 | 37 | 26.9 | $314K | +0.2% | #351 of 538 |
| 3New Iberia, LA | 34 | 62 | 23.1 | $333K | −4.6% | #451 of 538 |
| 4Minden, LA | 33 | 21 | 14.7 | $469K | −5.2% | #454 of 538 |
| 5Opelousas, LA | 33 | 67 | 20.8 | $337K | −1.9% | #456 of 538 |
| 6Morgan City, LA | 28 | 39 | 21.1 | $354K | −5.3% | #484 of 538 |
| 7Ruston, LA | 27 | 49 | 26.5 | $270K | +0.1% | #492 of 538 |
| 8Natchitoches, LA | 19 | 40 | 27.6 | $267K | −3.5% | #521 of 538 |
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
- Salons, barbers and spas23
- Hair salons27
- Barbershops15
- Nail salons27
- Spas and skin care17
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in the Ruston, LA area?
There are 49 hair salons on map listings in the Ruston area as of September 2026. 12 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023. Another 155 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Ruston, LA area spend on personal care products and services?
About $13.2M a year, or $715 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $270K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. 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 hair salons?
The Ruston area has 26.5 hair salons per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $270K, 37% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Ruston area would have about 31, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,081 households, against one for every 1,535 across 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 27 for hair salons (lower middle), #492 of 538 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 hair salons 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 hair salons · 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.