Ruth, North Carolina
Town
Welcome sign
Seal
Location of Ruth, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°22′57″N 81°56′41″W / 35.38250°N 81.94472°W / 35.38250; -81.94472
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Rutherford
Government
• Type	Local-democratically elected
• Mayor	David Guy[citation needed]
• Commissioners	William Steppe and Nick Goode[citation needed]
Area [1]
• Total	0.42 sq mi (1.10 km2)
• Land	0.42 sq mi (1.10 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	968 ft (295 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	347
• Density	818.40/sq mi (315.71/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28139
Area code	828
FIPS code	37-58420[3]
GNIS feature ID	2407259[2]

Ruth is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 440 at the 2010 census.

Geography

The town is concentrated around the intersection of the U.S. Route 64 and U.S. Route 74A. Ruth lies immediately northeast of Rutherfordton and northwest of Spindale.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 329 people, 137 households, and 96 families residing in the town. The population density was 749.8 people per square mile (289.5 people/km²). There were 155 housing units at an average density of 353.2 per square mile (136.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.10% White, 6.38% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, no Asian or Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population.

There were 137 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,083, and the median income for a family was $41,500. Males had a median income of $25,688 versus $20,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,402. About 5.8% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.