| | Ruston, LA | Ames, IA | United States |
| Unemployment Rate | Unlock | 2.7% | 6.0% |
| Recent Job Growth | Unlock | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Future Job Growth | 34.8% | Unlock | 33.5% |
| Sales Taxes | 10.0% | Unlock | 6.2% |
| Income Taxes | Unlock | 7.4% | 4.6% |
| Income per Cap. | $20,874 | Unlock | $37,638 |
| Household Income | Unlock | $54,339 | $69,021 |
| Family Median Income | $50,736 | Unlock | $85,028 |
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| Est. Households By Income | | | |
| | Ruston, LA | Ames, IA | United States |
| Income Less Than 15K | Unlock | 16.1% | 9.4% |
| Income between 15K and 20K | 10.2% | Unlock | 3.8% |
| Income between 20K and 30K | Unlock | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Income between 30K and 40K | 10.1% | Unlock | 8.0% |
| Income between 40K and 50K | Unlock | 8.8% | 7.6% |
| Income between 50K and 60K | 6.6% | Unlock | 7.2% |
| Income between 60K and 75K | Unlock | 10.6% | 9.6% |
| Income between 75K and 100K | 10.7% | Unlock | 12.8% |
| Income between 100K and 150K | Unlock | 14.2% | 16.3% |
| Income between 150K and 200K | 3.7% | Unlock | 7.8% |
| Income greater than 200K | Unlock | 5.1% | 9.5% |
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| Population By Occupation | | | |
| | Ruston, LA | Ames, IA | United States |
| Management, business, finance | 10.6% | Unlock | 16.4% |
| Engineering, computers, science | Unlock | 12.7% | 6.5% |
| Community, social services | 5.2% | Unlock | 1.8% |
| Legal | Unlock | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Education, library | 8.1% | Unlock | 6.2% |
| Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment | Unlock | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Healthcare practitioners and technology | 4.6% | Unlock | 6.2% |
| Healthcare support | Unlock | 3.7% | 3.3% |
| Firefighters, law enforcement | 2.1% | Unlock | 2.1% |
| Food preparation, serving | Unlock | 8.4% | 5.4% |
| Building maintenance | 3.4% | Unlock | 3.6% |
| Personal care | Unlock | 3.6% | 2.6% |
| Sales, office, administrative support | 19.2% | Unlock | 20.9% |
| Farming, fishing, forestry | Unlock | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair | 3.5% | Unlock | 8.1% |
| Production, transportation, material moving | Unlock | 8.8% | 13.1% |