Groundwork

Real estate · County · Tennessee

Real estate businesses in Rutherford County, TN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Rutherford County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,051 of 2,229 scored counties
#55 of 77 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
563
41 chain locations (7%)
Official establishments
154
+21.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2B
On rent and homeowner costs · $15,764 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
84
16% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
43.5
13% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
386,352
+12.6% since 2020

See the real estate businesses around any address in Rutherford County

The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Rutherford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 563 real estate businesses in Rutherford County. Of those, 41 are chain locations, or 7%, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 43.5 for every 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.

Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Rutherford County comes to about $2B a year: $15,764 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 16% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Rutherford County was 154 in 2023, up 21.3% from 2019. That is one for every 840 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,926 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $95K have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Rutherford County.

Population estimates show Rutherford County grew 12.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For real estate businesses, Rutherford County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,051 of 2,229 scored counties and #55 of 77 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Rutherford County compares

The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Real estate in Rutherford County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureRutherford CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households43.536.738.5
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)8493100
Households per official establishment840736414
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+21.3%+19.2%+15.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+12.6%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$15,764$14,833$16,661
Median household income$85,470$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score5155

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
127 → 154+21.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
900
Annual payroll, 2023
$56.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,926Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
56341 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
471The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$95K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Rutherford County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Rutherford County

Population, 2025 estimate
386,352+12.6% since 2020
Households
129,431
Median age
35.1
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
620 sq. mi.
People per square mile
582
Median household income
$85,470+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$105,856
Median home value
$382,600
Jobs located here
144,864
Daytime population
329,273Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rutherford County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Rutherford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Real estate across Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Rutherford County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Hickman County, TN8055.3620+5.0%#18 of 2,229
2Hawkins County, TN80177.2430+5.0%#19 of 2,229
3Union County, TN8067.6421+8.1%#20 of 2,229
4Fayette County, TN802112.2297+7.7%#25 of 2,229
5Smith County, TN80911.3295+5.1%#26 of 2,229
6Bedford County, TN773115.9209+9.7%#74 of 2,229
7Polk County, TN7679.4343+5.9%#81 of 2,229
8Gibson County, TN752311.3283+2.7%#104 of 2,229
9Grainger County, TN7477.2418+9.2%#119 of 2,229
10Sequatchie County, TN7469.7322+12.7%#123 of 2,229
55Rutherford County, TN5156343.584+12.6%#1,051 of 2,229

Other business types in Rutherford County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Rutherford County, TN?

There are 563 real estate businesses on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. 41 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 154 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 21.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,926 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Rutherford County, TN spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $2B a year, or $15,764 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 563 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 16% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,431 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Rutherford County, TN compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Rutherford County has 43.5 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 84, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 471, against 563 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 840 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Rutherford County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Rutherford County at 386,352 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 129,431 households. The median household income in Rutherford County is $85,470 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Rutherford County scores 51 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #1,051 of 2,229 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Rutherford County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Rutherford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.