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Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling is a college town of about 5,300 people in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. Its population has held about steady since 2020. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, New Orleans, is about 237 miles away as the crow flies.

College town

Population
5,314
down 0.6% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$181,700
Lincoln Parish prices up 13% since 2022
Prices, rural Louisiana
82.5
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
4 miles
Ruston, LA
To New Orleans
237 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 17.5% below the U.S. average in the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas.
  • More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Grambling to say.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Grambling itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in town1 public school: 1 K-12 and 1 other.
  • A hospital close byNorthern Louisiana Medical Center in Ruston, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityNew Orleans is about 237 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Grambling meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 38% of residents are college students, with Grambling State University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$181,700U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 13%Lincoln Parish, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$709 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them
31%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940
1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
82.5U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas, not Grambling alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
5,3142020: 5,345
Median age
21.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
11%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
20%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
35%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
10%U.S.: 6%
College students
38%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (9%); manufacturing (6%)
Work from home
25%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Northern Louisiana Medical Center, Ruston, LA, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Grambling, run by Lincoln Preparatory School.

Colleges in or next to town: Grambling State University (5,000 to 9,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Louisiana's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
28%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
42%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
35°F
July average high
92°F
Days 90°F or hotter
85 a year
Nights at or below freezing
46 a year
Rain and melted snow
55.6 inches a year
Snow
0 inches a year
Elevation
304 feet

Weather station: Ruston La Tech (4 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Northern Louisiana Medical Center, Bossier City, New Orleans.

Lincoln Parish is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Grambling State University Historic District.

Campus life. Check Grambling State University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Grambling's history on Wikipedia.

Know Grambling?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Simsboro, LA805 people, 4 miles
  • Vienna, LA475 people, 7 miles
  • Quitman, LA174 people, 12 miles
  • Dubach, LA899 people, 13 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.