Lincoln Parish (French: Paroisse de Lincoln) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,735. The parish seat is Ruston. The parish was created on February 24, 1873 from parts of Bienville, Claiborne, Union, and Jackson parishes, and its boundaries have changed only once (in 1877). This makes Lincoln parish one of the Reconstruction parishes.