Lincoln Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, about 35 miles west of Monroe along Interstate 20. It had a population of 48,396 at the 2020 census, an estimated 48,174 by 2024, and covers 472 square miles (1,220 km2) centred near 32°36′N 92°40′W.
Ruston is the parish seat; its postal code is 71270. The parish holds 2 cities, 2 towns and 3 villages, plus a handful of unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 22061.
Towns & Villages in Lincoln Parish
Lincoln Parish has 13 named places: 7 incorporated municipalities and 6 unincorporated communities. Louisiana parishes use police juries and wards rather than civil townships, so there is no Township column here.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston | City · seat | 22,166 | 71270 |
| Grambling | City | 5,239 | 71245 |
| Choudrant | Village | 989 | 71227 |
| Dubach | Town | 908 | 71235 |
| Simsboro | Village | 803 | 71275 |
| Vienna | Town | 483 | — |
| Downsville | Village | 120 | — |
| Corinth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hico | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hilly | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Zion | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Unionville | Unincorp. | — | — |
Vienna was Lincoln Parish’s first seat, from the parish’s 1873 creation until an 1884 parish-wide vote moved government to the new railroad town of Ruston. Grambling grew up around Grambling State University rather than the other way round; its city limits and the campus are effectively one place, distinct from the unincorporated pocket some older lists label “Grambling Corners.”
ZIP Codes
- 71270 — Ruston (main office, also serves Vienna)
- 71272 — Ruston (unique ZIP, Louisiana Tech University)
- 71273 — Ruston (PO Box only)
- 71245 — Grambling
- 71235 — Dubach
- 71227 — Choudrant
- 71275 — Simsboro
Vienna and Downsville have no ZIP code of their own; mail there routes through the Ruston and Dubach post offices.
Geography
Lincoln Parish sits in the rolling, pine-covered hill country of north Louisiana, well east of the flat Mississippi Delta soils that dominate much of the state. Of its 472 square miles, 0.7 square miles is water — small farm ponds and creek bottoms rather than any single large lake. Bayou D’Arbonne and Corney Bayou drain the parish’s northern half toward the Ouachita River.
Lincoln Parish borders Union Parish to the north, Ouachita Parish to the east, Jackson Parish to the south, Bienville Parish to the southwest, and Claiborne Parish to the northwest.
Demographics
Lincoln Parish had a population of 48,396 at the 2020 census, holding roughly steady at an estimated 48,174 by 2024. Ruston and Grambling are the two largest communities, together home to more than half the parish. Median household income runs $39,172, well below Louisiana’s statewide $60,756, a gap driven partly by the parish’s large student population at Louisiana Tech and Grambling State University. Population density works out to about 103 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Education is the parish’s largest employer sector by far, with about 3,984 workers, followed by health care and social assistance (2,755) and retail trade (2,447). Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and Grambling State University in Grambling anchor the parish economy and its population; between them the two schools draw students from across the state and beyond. Ruston’s Peach Festival, held every June, is the parish’s best-known annual event; Dubach runs its own Chicken Festival each fall.
History
Lincoln Parish was created February 24, 1873, during Reconstruction, from portions of Bienville, Claiborne, Union and Jackson parishes, and named for the assassinated president Abraham Lincoln. Vienna served as the first parish seat. When the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad bypassed Vienna in the early 1880s, residents voted in 1884 to move the seat to Ruston, the new depot town on the line, and Ruston has held the seat ever since. Louisiana Tech was founded in Ruston in 1894, and Grambling State University followed in Grambling in 1901, setting the parish’s education-driven economy in motion decades before the interstate arrived.
Getting There
Interstate 20 crosses Lincoln Parish east–west through Ruston and Grambling; US Highways 63, 80 and 167 supplement it.
- Monroe — 35 miles east
- Shreveport — 65 miles west
- Alexandria — 95 miles south
- Farmerville (Union Parish seat) — 20 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Monroe Regional Airport (MLU). Ruston also has its own general-aviation field, Ruston Regional Airport. The nearest Amtrak service is the Texas Eagle station in Marshall, Texas, about 60 miles west.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lincoln Parish located?
It’s in north Louisiana, about 35 miles west of Monroe along Interstate 20.
What is the population of Lincoln Parish?
48,396 at the 2020 census, estimated at 48,174 in 2024.
How big is Lincoln Parish?
472 square miles (1,220 km2), almost all of it land.
What is the parish seat of Lincoln Parish?
Ruston, which took over from the original seat, Vienna, in 1884.
How many towns are in Lincoln Parish?
Seven incorporated places — the cities of Ruston and Grambling, the towns of Dubach and Vienna, and the villages of Choudrant, Simsboro and Downsville — plus six unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes cover Lincoln Parish?
71270, 71272 and 71273 (all Ruston), 71245 (Grambling), 71235 (Dubach), 71227 (Choudrant) and 71275 (Simsboro).
Is Grambling State University in Lincoln Parish?
Yes. Grambling State University sits inside the city of Grambling, alongside Louisiana Tech University in Ruston — two public universities in one parish.
More parishes in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.