MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — UPDATED: Uniformed Murfreesboro firefighters hit the pavement this past weekend and went door-to-door as the City seeks to collect addresses of residents, along with names, to ensure an accurate count of households that have not filled out and returned the Special Census "Count Me In" form by mail or online. Residents can still respond to an electronic form survey and follow the progress online at www.Murfreesborocensus.com. A special QR code provided below navigates directly to the website to be counted.
“We can’t stress enough how important it is for every household to completing the Special Census,” said Mayor Shane McFarland. “The 2025 Special Census is easy, safe, and useful. The information shared remains confidential and the funding tied to our count is critical for providing the necessary level of services.”
“The Special Census certifies the city’s growth in population,” said Assistant City Manager Sam Huddleston. “We appreciate residents who have participated through our online responses or mailing in forms to the Special Census. We believe the City has added at least 20,000 new residents since the last census and that could mean an additional $3.5 million per year in state-shared funding.”
During the door-to-door campaign members of the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) can also provide valuable information on home fire safety and check smoke alarms to make sure the alarms are working properly. The Census only takes a few minutes.
The City has mailed forms to all City households, requesting the address and the first and last names of everyone living at the residence. Residents should include any individuals away at college or deployed in the military.
To verify the accuracy of the Census, the City is required to audit 10 percent of survey responses. To provide accurate information for non-responding households, the City is initiating this door-to-door campaign. The survey simply requests respondents’ addresses and the names of everyone living at that address.
The City of Murfreesboro has collected the names of about 25 percent of the anticipated population after distributing mailings of a Special Census form. It’s important to verify the latest population, and imperative that all residents respond. The City of Murfreesboro relies on this information for the City to secure its full allocation of State-shared revenue, based on population. The official certified population for the City is 152,769 based on the federal census in 2020. Based on 7,500 new residential permits and net migration, the true population has easily increased by 20,000 since the 2020 census. But that must be verified!
The state is currently sharing with the City approximately $175.00 per resident in State-shared revenues, which means an estimated $30 million annually for the City of Murfreesboro if our goal of 20,000 additional residents is verified. This helps keep taxes low, provide essential services to citizens and increase the quality of life.
If each household averages 2.3 people, the City believes at least 20,000 new residents have been added since the 2020 federal census. At 170,000 people for 2025 Special Census, that translates to an additional $3.5 million in State-shared revenue per year.
The first Special Census packet was mailed Dec. 9, 2024, and a second mailer went out in February to all residents who didn’t respond to the first mailing.
The City is also mailing Special Census letters to special housing locations such as MTSU on-campus housing, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, homeless shelters, group homes, jail, and workhouse facilities.
The City will not sell or share your information, except for official purposes with the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee Knoxville where a database of business and population statistics is maintained for the state. For questions about the Murfreesboro Special Census, please email census@murfreesborotn.gov or call 615-893-5210.
