The first recorded city plan for Ruleville was drawn up in 1898 by J. W. Rule, a city planner from the Mississippi Delta. In the early 1900s, a new train service called the Yellow Dog came through town, connecting Moorhead and the Yazoo Delta. This new service made Ruleville a boom town and the population grew from just 226 people in 1900 to as many as 1022 in 1920.
The rate of crime in Ruleville varies depending on location, although it is generally higher in the northwestern and western parts of the city. Although the crime rate in Ruleville may seem high in these areas, the city has lower violent crime than surrounding cities. Although the violent crime rate in Ruleville is higher than the state average, it is still lower than the national average.
Ruleville is home to 2,101 people of voting age. The majority of these are male, with a median age of 46.9%. However, the number of people over sixty-nine years old is relatively low - 14.8%. Ruleville ranks second in terms of population size, behind Cleveland and Doddsville.
In terms of family structure, Ruleville has the lowest percentage of married couples in the area, at 2.3%. Meanwhile, Ruleville ranks highest in average household size with an average of 3.4.