Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · Louisiana
Salons, barbers and spas in the Ruston, LA area
How the Ruston, LA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #514 of 538 scored small-town markets
#5 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 95
- 22 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $13.2M
- On personal care products and services · $715 a household
- Spending per listing
- $139K
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.4
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,360
- +0.1% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Ruston area
The site report maps the salons, barbers and spas 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 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #514 of 538 scored small-town markets and #5 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Household spending on personal care products and services in the Ruston area comes to about $13.2M a year: $715 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. Spread across 95 salons, barbers and spas, that is $139K per business, 35% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
The Ruston area has 95 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 22 are chain locations, or 23%, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 51.4 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Ruston area in 2023. That is one for every 1,681 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $25K has gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Ruston area. 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 personal care products and services by the salons, barbers and spas 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 | 51.4 | 49.9 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $139K | $166K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,681 | 1,135 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.5% | +14.1% |
| 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 | 23 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11
- Employees, 2023
- 40
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 253Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9522 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 62The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $25K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services 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 salons, barbers and spas 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 cardSalons, barbers and spas across Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Louisiana for salons, barbers and spas, 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 | 57 | 52 | 37.8 | $224K | +0.2% | #191 of 538 |
| 2Bogalusa, LA | 54 | 48 | 27.1 | $262K | −0.9% | #220 of 538 |
| Natchez, MS-LA | 47 | 60 | 28.9 | $241K | −0.9% | #310 of 538 |
| 3Opelousas, LA | 35 | 122 | 37.9 | $185K | −1.9% | #445 of 538 |
| 4New Iberia, LA | 34 | 115 | 42.9 | $180K | −4.6% | #454 of 538 |
| 5Ruston, LA | 23 | 95 | 51.4 | $139K | +0.1% | #514 of 538 |
| 6Morgan City, LA | 22 | 80 | 43.3 | $173K | −5.3% | #518 of 538 |
| 7Natchitoches, LA | 19 | 61 | 42.0 | $175K | −3.5% | #525 of 538 |
| 8Minden, LA | 10 | 53 | 37.0 | $186K | −5.2% | #535 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 salons, barbers and spas are in the Ruston, LA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 95 salons, barbers and spas in the Ruston area. 22 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023. Official counts also show 253 one-person businesses without payroll.
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 95 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $139K per business. 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 salons, barbers and spas?
The Ruston area has 51.4 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $139K, 35% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Ruston area would have about 62, against 95 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,681 households, against one for every 804 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 23 for salons, barbers and spas (low), #514 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 salons, barbers and spas 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 salons, barbers and spas · 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.