• county
  • FIPS 47149
  • Largest town: Murfreesboro

Rutherford County, Tennessee

Rutherford County had 376,996 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 619.3 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 8th by land area.

Population
376,996
#5 of 95 in Tennessee · #203 in US
Area
619.3 sq mi
#8 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,555 in US
Density
609 / sq mi
#5 of 95 in Tennessee · #233 in US
Median household income
$81,987
#5 of 95 in Tennessee · #403 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Rutherford County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Rutherford County

Rutherford County population, land area and income

Rutherford County had 376,996 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 619.3 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 608.8 people per square mile, 6.3 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Tennessee has 32,883 residents, so Rutherford County is 11.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $81,987 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

376,996

3144th1st

203rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

619 sq mi

3144th1st

1555th of 3,144 (US)

Density

608.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

233rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$81,987

3143rd1st

403rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

376,996

95th1st

5th of 95 (TN)

Land area

619 sq mi

95th1st

8th of 95 (TN)

Density

608.8 / sq mi

95th1st

5th of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$81,987

95th1st

5th of 95 (TN)

How Rutherford County's population changed since 2020

Rutherford County gained 33,694 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 9.8%. That ranks 6th of 95 in Tennessee for growth. The median Tennessee county changed by +4.4%, and the state as a whole by +4.3%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Rutherford County recorded 18,725 births and 11,415 deaths, a natural change of +7,310. Net international migration added +6,653 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +21,372. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 21,372 people.

343.3k2020351.2k2021362.0k2022369.6k2023377.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
18,725
Deaths
11,415
Net international migration
+6,653
Net domestic migration
+21,372
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+7,347

Where Rutherford County is

The Census internal point of Rutherford County is at 35.843400, -86.417200. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Tennessee's 95 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Rutherford County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Warren County: +6.2%Bledsoe County: +4.3%Cheatham County: +3.7%Crockett County: +0.5%Putnam County: +6.0%Houston County: +2.8%Macon County: +7.6%Sequatchie County: +11.2%Fayette County: +6.2%Trousdale County: +4.5%Union County: +6.1%Claiborne County: +3.1%Weakley County: +0.8%Coffee County: +5.4%Johnson County: +2.8%Overton County: +4.3%Lake County: -8.1%Moore County: +4.7%Hardeman County: -0.0%Jefferson County: +7.8%Smith County: +4.1%Robertson County: +7.5%Gibson County: +1.9%Henry County: +2.3%Grundy County: +4.4%Decatur County: +3.2%Greene County: +4.3%Hamblen County: +4.9%Humphreys County: +2.9%Knox County: +5.5%Roane County: +5.7%Lewis County: +6.4%Rhea County: +4.4%Rutherford County: +9.8%Montgomery County: +11.2%Lauderdale County: -2.0%Shelby County: -2.1%Tipton County: +1.9%Perry County: +7.2%Stewart County: +4.8%Chester County: +2.8%Washington County: +4.8%Polk County: +4.4%Van Buren County: +8.3%Dyer County: -0.8%Davidson County: +1.9%Cocke County: +4.3%Williamson County: +7.8%Benton County: +2.0%Dickson County: +5.9%Lawrence County: +5.2%Hamilton County: +5.0%McNairy County: +0.9%Meigs County: +8.8%Hawkins County: +4.7%Blount County: +4.8%White County: +6.1%Marshall County: +9.8%Sullivan County: +2.8%Campbell County: +2.4%Haywood County: -4.1%Bradley County: +4.5%Franklin County: +5.4%Sumner County: +7.2%Hardin County: +2.4%Grainger County: +6.4%Hickman County: +3.6%Pickett County: +2.2%Carroll County: +2.4%Henderson County: +1.3%Sevier County: +1.3%Hancock County: +6.2%Scott County: +2.9%McMinn County: +6.4%Morgan County: +4.3%Lincoln County: +4.0%Obion County: -1.7%Unicoi County: -0.0%Wayne County: -1.5%Cannon County: +4.0%Fentress County: +8.6%Loudon County: +12.7%Wilson County: +14.3%Bedford County: +7.6%Monroe County: +5.9%DeKalb County: +7.7%Marion County: +3.2%Carter County: +1.9%Clay County: +3.5%Madison County: +1.6%Cumberland County: +6.9%Anderson County: +5.3%Maury County: +11.4%Giles County: +2.1%Jackson County: +6.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +3.7%
  3. < +4.9%
  4. < +6.4%
  5. ≥ +6.4%
no data

Orange pin: Rutherford County internal point. Dark pin: Nashville.

Internal point

Decimal
35.843400, -86.417200
DMS
35°50'36.24"N 86°25'1.92"W
UTM
16N 552630.3E 3966736.2N
Geohash
dn6ect0fv
Plus code
867MRHVM+94

Towns in Rutherford County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Rutherford County, 270,119 people together, or 72% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rutherford County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Murfreesboro with 168,387.

  1. 01Murfreesboro168,387
  2. 02Smyrna60,302
  3. 03La Vergne41,430
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Rutherford County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Rutherford County. The most populous is Davidson County, TN, with 729,505 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 30.3 miles NW of Rutherford County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Murfreesboro, TN (population 168,387), 0.7 miles away.

Rutherford County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rutherford County is 47149: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 149. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $81,987.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Rutherford County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 376,996. That is up 33,694 people (9.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 343,302.

What is the FIPS code of Rutherford County?

47149. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (149) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Rutherford County?

Murfreesboro, with 168,387 residents inside Rutherford County in 2024.

Which counties border Rutherford County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Davidson County, TN; Williamson County, TN; Wilson County, TN; Coffee County, TN; Bedford County, TN; Marshall County, TN; Cannon County, TN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.