Rusk County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rusk County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rusk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 52,842 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 56.3 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.08% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.3 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 18,027 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rusk County grew by 9.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 52,842 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rusk County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.3 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,162 21.1% -2.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 11,416 21.6% -1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,598 20.1% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,173 17.4% +4.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 46.8% of the people living in Rusk County and men 53.2%.
- Women 46.8% Texas 50.1%
- Men 53.2% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Rusk County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Rusk County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Rusk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $68,603 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.64% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rusk County is about 13% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Rusk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $59,204 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,015 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.8% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rusk County is about 4.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,015 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rusk County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rusk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.3 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.5 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,754 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,066 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 625 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Rusk County is 22 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Rusk County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Rusk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.6% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.65 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Rusk County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Rusk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.2 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.1% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Rusk County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Rusk County, TX is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 52,842 residents against a local median of 65,162. Where Rusk County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 68% below the local median of $185,885 at $59,204.
The counties themselves spread $219,694 on median home price, so Rusk County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rusk County, TX has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk County, TX | 52,842 | $68,603 #2/6 | $59,204 #5/6 | 22.3 min #6/6 |
| Gregg County, TX | 125,481 | $67,149 | $219,385 | 17.1 min |
| Panola County, TX | 22,726 | $63,075 | $34,582 | 21.0 min |
| Cherokee County, TX | 51,885 | $61,269 | $164,216 | 20.2 min |
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 65,162 | $53,403 | $254,276 | 15.6 min |
| Smith County, TX | 241,737 | $74,135 | $185,885 | 20.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rusk County, Texas.
How big is Rusk County, Texas by population?
About 52,842 people live in Rusk County, Texas, in 18,027 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 37.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Rusk County, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Rusk County, Texas has 56 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 65% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Rusk County, Texas?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($59,204 against $68,603), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,015 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Rusk County, Texas?
14.6% of adults in Rusk County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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