Rutherford County, TN - Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr is addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with the county’s projected population of 388,909, now making it the fourth largest county in Tennessee.
Recent projected data from the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research (BCBER) at the University of Tennessee Knoxville indicates that Rutherford County has surpassed Hamilton County in population growth. This figure represents a 7.8 percent increase, totaling 28,290 people since 2022, and a 2.4 percent growth since 2024, according to BCBER’s biennial population projections for Tennessee.
“My office has known for a while that Rutherford County has been
growing nearly two times faster than the state of Tennessee.”- Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr
“My office has known for a while that Rutherford County has been growing nearly two times faster than the state of Tennessee,” said Mayor Carr. “This data further justifies the need to improve our infrastructure, manage development, and enhance public safety efforts. Planning and managing our future growth is why I’ve spearheaded specific projects, such as a solid waste transfer station and the proposed need for a forensics center in Rutherford County.”
BCBER further projects a growth of 397,974 in 2026, 406,931 in 2027, and up to 511,987 by 2040. To effectively manage this growth, Rutherford County has been working on an update to its comprehensive plan for the past two years, titled “PlanRutherford.” Public meetings and open houses were scheduled throughout 2024 to gather input from the community. The plan serves as a blueprint for addressing the needs arising from the county's growth.
- Documents illustrating the comparative growth of Rutherford County and all other counties in Tennessee can be found at https://tnsdc.utk.edu/estimates-and-projections/boyd-center-population-projections/.
