According to the United States Census Bureau, Royston has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2), or 0.51%, is water.[8]
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,493 people, 1,016 households, and 610 families residing in the city. The population density was 728.4 inhabitants per square mile (281.2/km2). There were 1,135 housing units at an average density of 331.6 per square mile (128.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.25% White, 23.23% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.
There were 1,016 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,024, and the median income for a family was $31,845. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $21,580 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,750. About 19.7% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty threshold, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 23.1% of those age 65 or over.
