| Rutherford County, Tennessee | ||
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Location in the state of Tennessee |
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Tennessee's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1803 | |
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| Named for | Griffith Rutherford | |
| Seat | Murfreesboro | |
| Largest city | Murfreesboro | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
624 sq mi (1,616 km²) 618 sq mi (1,600 km²) 5 sq mi (13 km²), 0.81% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
262,604 420.8/sq mi (162/km²) |
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| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | |
| Website | www.RutherfordCountyTN.gov | |
Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023.[1] Its county seat is Murfreesboro[2], which is also the geographic center of Tennessee, as well as the center of population of Tennessee.[3] The county is included in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 624 square miles (1,620 km2), of which 619 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 5 square miles (13 km2) (0.81%) is water.
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 182,023 people, 66,443 households, and 47,440 families residing in the county. The population density was 294 people per square mile (114/km²). There were 70,616 housing units at an average density of 114 per square mile (44/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.73% White, 9.51% Black or African American, 1.90% Asian, 0.29% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.32% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000 there were 66,443 households out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 20.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 13.20% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,312, and the median income for a family was $53,553. Males had a median income of $36,788 versus $26,555 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,938. About 5.80% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 33,543 |
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| 1910 | 33,199 | −1.0% | |
| 1920 | 33,059 | −0.4% | |
| 1930 | 32,286 | −2.3% | |
| 1940 | 33,604 | 4.1% | |
| 1950 | 40,696 | 21.1% | |
| 1960 | 52,368 | 28.7% | |
| 1970 | 59,428 | 13.5% | |
| 1980 | 84,058 | 41.4% | |
| 1990 | 118,570 | 41.1% | |
| 2000 | 182,023 | 53.5% | |
| 2010 | 262,604 | 44.3% | |
The 2010 census put the population of Rutherford County at 262,604. This represents a greater than 40% population growth since the 2000 U.S. Census. As of 2009, it was estimated that the minority fraction of the population had grown to almost 20% of the total, with Hispanic population at 5.58%, African American population at 12.09%, and Asian population at 2.66% of the total.[6]
Rutherford County was formed in 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties, and named in honor of Griffith Rutherford (1721–1805). Rutherford was a North Carolina colonial legislator and a Revolutionary War general who settled in Middle Tennessee after the Revolution and served as President of the Council of the Territory of Tennessee before Tennessee attained statehood.
Rutherford County is an outlying part of metropolitan Nashville. Since 1970 its population has been increasing rapidly as Nashville becomes a true metropolis. The rate of growth accelerated in the 1990s and continued at a brisk pace into the first decade of the 21st century. From 2005-2006 the county population grew by over 10,000 people.
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