RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - Murfreesboro and Rutherford County continue to appear on numerous lists ranking the fastest-growing cities and counties in Tennessee and throughout the nation. While many studies simply look at the number of new residents moving into an area without accounting for those leaving, a report from the University of Tennessee compiled data to reveal a surprising result. The information showed that during the research year from 2022 to 2023, Rutherford County had the largest population change in the state.

Numbers from the UT Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research indicated that Rutherford County outpaced Nashville in the study by adding 1,436 more residents than Davidson County. Music City experienced a population change of 4,983 residents between 2022 and 2023, while Rutherford County saw a change of 6,419 new residents.

When calculating population changes across each of the 95 counties in the state, the data collected over a 12-month span revealed that Rutherford County added more residents than any other county. The population addition of nearly 6,500 people, most of whom are smiling, means Rutherford County has topped the fastest-growing counties list for eight consecutive years.

The only other county that came close to Rutherford County was Knox County, home to Knoxville, Tennessee, which had a population change of 5,289 residents. This means Rutherford County attracted 1,130 more residents than its closest competitor—if growth were a competition.

Interestingly, growth was even greater one year prior when Rutherford County led the charts for the 2021 to 2022 study. During that research, it was confirmed that Rutherford County added 9,500 people, which is 3,000 more than the most recent study showing the addition of roughly 6,500 new residents.

According to the latest UT study conducted from 2022 to 2023, “Knox County (Knoxville) and Hamilton (Chattanooga) Counties were second and third on the list, each adding just under 5,300 people in 2023. This was followed by several Middle Tennessee counties in the Nashville Metro area, including Wilson, Davidson (Nashville), Sumner, and Williamson. Montgomery County (Clarksville) came in sixth, with an increase of 4,973 people.”

To top off these numbers, it appears that growth in the Volunteer State is among the highest in the nation. According to the Exploding Topics website, a company that helps businesses understand growing trends, the United States has a little more than 346 million residents and has experienced a 4.5% increase in population between 2020 and 2025. This translates to approximately 92.3 people per square mile in the US, with an average of 2.6 people per household living in just over 138 million housing units. The overall housing occupancy rate is at 88% capacity, with 64% of those actually owning their own homes.

Just six days ago, Exploding Topics reported that Austin, Texas, was the fastest-growing metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., with a new resident growth rate of about 25%. According to that same list, which calculated metropolitan areas, the “Nashville - Murfreesboro - Franklin” MSA was ranked as the 10th fastest-growing metro in the United States, growing at a rate of nearly 15%. Again, the list includes Metro Statistical Areas, and Rutherford County is categorized within the Nashville MSA.